100-Day Report of Pezeshkian: Model of Press Suppression Expanded

The organization 'Defending the Flow of Free Information' reported that during the first 100 days of Masoud Pezeshkian's presidency, there was not only no significant change in the indicators of press freedom in Iran, but also organized disruption of free information continued and patterns of suppression of freedom of expression were expanded. The report states: 'During this period, 78 media outlets and journalists experienced judicial and security confrontations with the Islamic Republic.' Contrary to the claims of Pezeshkian's government officials, the report emphasizes that 'against at least 12 journalists, 22 years of imprisonment, 70 lashes, and 26 million tomans in fines were issued or executed.' 'Defending the Flow of Free Information' also noted that despite the government's claim of not filing complaints against journalists, 'at least 38 new legal cases were opened against media outlets and journalists.' Accordingly, it was announced that a total of 8 journalists experienced temporary detention or were arrested to serve prison sentences. The report adds: 'The number of imprisoned journalists increased from 8 at the beginning of Masoud Pezeshkian's presidency to 10 by the end of the hundredth day,' and no action was taken to reopen the Iranian Journalists' Association. This organization emphasizes that interference in the independence of the press continued through the complete control of the Ministry of Culture over the most important financial source of media (advertising distribution). The report states that appointments in government-affiliated news agencies and media institutions, as well as those appointed to the information council of this institution, diminished hopes for structural changes to facilitate citizens' access to reliable, accurate, and timely information. Concurrently with widespread restrictions and targeted disruption of journalists' professional activities, the government published advertisements to recruit social media activists to expand its propaganda apparatus. The report describes the behavior of Pezeshkian's government, stating that an examination of recorded press events and cases during the first 100 days of Masoud Pezeshkian's presidency showed that organized disruption of free information continued, widespread restrictions against media and journalists were repeated, and the Islamic Republic expanded its patterns of suppressing freedom of expression in the country. The report specifically refers to the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police, noting that the first hundred days of Masoud Pezeshkian's presidency coincided with the second anniversary of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. On the anniversary of these protests, the judicial, security, and governmental institutions of the Islamic Republic focused on pressuring responsible managers and policymakers of media and quasi-media to prevent the publication of reports regarding this event and disrupt independent information dissemination, and none of the Iranian press and news agencies were allowed to publish a report about this historical event.