Committee to Protect Journalists Condemns 10-Year Prison Sentence for Reza Valizadeh

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the confirmation of a 10-year prison sentence for Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American journalist and former Radio Farda reporter, by an appeals court in Iran. In a statement released on Thursday evening, February 11, CPJ called on Iranian authorities to "immediately" release the journalist and to show that they do not intend to use his dual nationality as a "potential political leverage." The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly been accused of imprisoning foreign or dual nationals on various charges, including "actions against national security" and "espionage," in an attempt to gain concessions from foreign countries or to secure the release of its own citizens from prisons in other countries. Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, Valizadeh's lawyer, wrote on social media on Wednesday, February 10, that he visited the journalist in Evin Prison to see the "rejection of the appeal." Aghasi added, "I had previously stated that the court's procedure confirms the initial ruling, but perhaps a retrial could open the blindfold of justice." In response to the confirmation of Valizadeh's 10-year prison sentence, he wrote, "Ten years in prison cannot be a punishment for working in the media, even if it is oppositional, because the charge is propaganda against the regime, and the maximum punishment for that is one year in prison." Judge Iman Afshari and Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced the journalist not only to 10 years in prison but also to a ban on residing in Tehran and neighboring provinces, a ban on leaving the country, and a ban on membership in political and social parties and groups for two years. This sentence was issued against Valizadeh on the charge of "collaborating with the hostile government of the United States." Valizadeh, who resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after 10 years of service, returned to Iran on March 7, 2023, to visit his family after a period of living abroad and was arrested on October 23 of the same year. Valizadeh's relatives told Radio Farda that he fell into a "security trap" and that although he had been "promised" by some security forces during phone calls that he would not face any problems in Iran, he was arrested after a while and faced this heavy sentence. Following the news of Valizadeh's arrest, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned his detention in separate statements. The U.S. State Department and Radio Free Europe also condemned Valizadeh's arrest as an American citizen, deeming the action "unjust" and "contrary to international law."