Concerns of Dozens of Media Activists Regarding the Situation of Saharkhiz and Mazandarani

Dozens of media activists have expressed their concerns in a letter addressed to Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, regarding the situation of Eisa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani, two imprisoned journalists. The letter, published by the website Kalemeh on Saturday, October 9, states that 'these two journalists have been deprived of their legal rights for unclear and ambiguous reasons and have gone on hunger strike, putting their lives at risk due to the disregard for the law and their rights.' The 132 media activists noted that Eisa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani have been in prison for about a year and mentioned that according to Article 58 of the Islamic Penal Code, these two journalists are entitled to conditional release, but they have been informed that they must remain in prison until the presidential elections of 2017. The letter requests Sadegh Larijani to order that the request for conditional release of these two journalists be reviewed 'urgently' based on the judiciary's directive. Among the signatories of this letter are Saba Azarpeik, Keyvan Samimi, Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Ali Malihi, and Majid Daryaei, who have also been imprisoned for some time. Eisa Saharkhiz, the former director of press at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, has been on hunger strike since Sunday, October 2, in protest against 'the unmet demands.' He has been in prison since November of last year and, according to his family, cannot endure the prison conditions due to multiple illnesses, including heart problems, and needs treatment outside of prison. Before his hunger strike, Saharkhiz had informed the Tehran prosecutor in a letter that since he has served more than half of his sentence, he should be eligible for conditional release, but 'high-ranking political and security officials' have opposed his release. He added that under these circumstances, he had no choice but to resort to a hunger strike. In his letter, this imprisoned journalist referred to a forensic report about his poor physical condition and 'the exacerbation and increase of chronic illnesses during detention in Ward 2-A of the IRGC' and requested either release or 'long-term medical leave' until the conclusion of the 'process of issuing a ruling of non-imprisonability.' Eisa Saharkhiz was sentenced to ten years in prison for 'insulting the leadership' and 'propaganda against the regime' by the Tehran Revolutionary Court, but this sentence was reduced to 21 months in the appeals court. Ehsan Mazandarani, another imprisoned journalist who was arrested simultaneously with Eisa Saharkhiz and two other journalists named Saman Safarzadeh and Afrin Chitsaz in November of last year, has been on hunger strike since October 1. This imprisoned journalist recently called for the establishment of a 'fact-finding committee' regarding the reasons for his arrest and that of other journalists in an open letter to the Attorney General of the country. Ehsan Mazandarani was also sentenced to seven years in prison for 'propaganda against the regime' and 'gathering and colluding with the intent to act against national security' by the Tehran Revolutionary Court, but this sentence was reduced to two years in the appeals court. The arrest and conviction of media activists in Iran have been consistently criticized by the United Nations and human rights organizations in recent years. Among them is Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, who in his recent report on the human rights situation in Iran accused the Iranian authorities of violating the right to freedom of expression and repressing journalists and media. Reporters Without Borders also criticized 'pressure on media' and the arrest of journalists in Iran in a statement issued on September 22, coinciding with Hassan Rouhani's visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly. According to this freedom of expression advocacy organization, Iran is one of the five largest prisons in the world for media activists, with at least 30 imprisoned journalists and bloggers. However, some Iranian officials, including Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the President and Foreign Minister of Iran, have emphasized over the years that no journalist has been arrested and imprisoned due to their journalistic activities.