(RSF/IFEX) – A month after Mohammad Khatami’s victory in the presidential elections, the press freedom situation is getting worse in Iran. RSF currently knows of twenty-seven journalists behind bars. Twenty-one of them are detained in an unknown place and their families are particularly worried about their health. RSF asks the head of the magistracy, Ayatollah […]
(RSF/IFEX) – A month after Mohammad Khatami’s victory in the presidential elections, the press freedom situation is getting worse in Iran. RSF currently knows of twenty-seven journalists behind bars. Twenty-one of them are detained in an unknown place and their families are particularly worried about their health. RSF asks the head of the magistracy, Ayatollah Shahroudi, to order the release of these journalists. In RSF’s opinion, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is one of the world’s thirty worst enemies of press freedom. Iran is the largest prison for journalists in the world. The organisation notes that their detention is contrary to Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has been ratified by Iran.
Despite the July 2001 release of Morteza Firouzi, former editor-in-chief of “Iran News”, and Hamid Naïni, of “Peyam Emrouz”, the arrests have not stopped. At the end of June, five students contributing to newspapers were imprisoned: Ali Fallaf and Babak Ghani-Pour of “Arman”, Morteza Taghi-Pour, Rouzbeh Chafii and Mohammad-Reza Chirvand of “Faryad”. The latter three journalists were imprisoned for an article judged offensive by the Twelfth Imam.
The families of most of these journalists have no information on their place of detention. Relatives of Reza Alijani of “Iran-é-Farda”, have not been allowed to visit him or to ask about his health since February. The others are detained in Tehran’s Evine prison, where detention conditions are very tough. The family of Hassan Youssefi Echkevari, journalist with “Iran-é-Farda”, is concerned about his health because he is a diabetic. In jail since 5 August 2000, he has already fainted several times. The relatives of Ezatollah Sahabi of “Iran-é-Farda”, jailed for the last seven months, have said that he has been a victim of psychological torture. This journalist, who is more than 70 years old, is to be moved soon to another place of detention. Visits by his family as well as his lawyers are seldom authorised. Moreover, some journalists are subjected to ill-treatment in order to force them to “admit” to their “crimes” on national television, or to write letters stating that they “repent”.
Of the twenty-seven, only eight journalists have been sentenced; the others are waiting for a judgement or a verdict. Hoda Saber, of “Iran-é-Farda”, has been detained for six months without a court hearing. Moreover, his sister was remanded in custody, on 11 July, for “refusing to cooperate” with the judiciary. At the beginning of June, the wife of Reza-Raïs Toussi, jailed since March, said that these arrests were “illegal” and that until now the prisoners have not had “the opportunity to defend themselves.”
Despite an acquittal, some journalists are still behind bars. Arrested in April 2000, Akbar Ganji, of “Sobh-é-Emrouz”, was sentenced on appeal in May 2001 to six months in jail. In June, a Tehran court refused to release him after convicting him of a new set of charges. After being pardoned in February, Machallah Chamsolvaezine of “Neshat” has not been released. Despite an acquittal in June, Latif Safari of “Neshat” is still behind bars.
Moreover, the judiciary demands exorbitant sums to release prisoners on bail. Hechmatollah Tabarzadi, a journalist with “Hoviat-é-Khich”, has to pay 50 million tomans (approx. US$64,000 or 75,000 euros) to be released. In spite of his poor health, Hoda Saber has to pay a bail of 300 million tomans (approx. US$383,500 or 450,000 euros). Journalists cannot pay such sums of money.
For further information, contact Virginie Locussol at RSF, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: middle-east@rsf.fr, Internet: http://www.rsf.fr
