Continued Pressure on Media Activists; Ali Hadiyaloo and Hoshyar Babaei Summoned to Court

As the anniversary of the killing of protesters during last year's demonstrations approaches, pressure from government forces on journalists and media activists has intensified. Recent reports indicate that two media activists, Ali Hadiyaloo, a journalist and satirist, and Hoshyar Babaei, the editor-in-chief of the weekly "Deng-i Kurdistan," have been summoned and interrogated by the courts in Tehran and Sanandaj. The International Federation of Journalists reported on Thursday, September 30, that Ali Hadiyaloo, who expressed his views through satire, was summoned to the investigative branch of the 33rd District Court in Tehran's Evin prison and interrogated. According to the report, this media activist is currently at home, but the interrogation and summons to the court continue. It has been reported that these interrogations followed a raid by government forces on this media activist's home, during which some of his personal belongings, including his phone and laptop, were confiscated on September 28. Ali Hadiyaloo, an experienced journalist residing in Tehran, has collaborated with the newspaper Qanoon. He has often provided a critical view of the Islamic Republic's performance on X (formerly Twitter) in a satirical manner. The International Federation of Journalists also reported that Hoshyar Babaei, the editor-in-chief of the weekly "Deng-i Kurdistan," has recently been summoned and interrogated by the Ministry of Intelligence forces. He was summoned on September 27 by the Intelligence Office of Sanandaj and interrogated for several hours regarding his journalistic activities. According to this report, there is no information available regarding the reasons for the summons, the interrogation, and the accusations against this media activist. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network has also reported that previously, journalists from the weekly "Deng-i Kurdistan," who cover topics such as social issues, violence against women, porters, child labor, and mine victims in Kurdistan, have been repeatedly summoned, interrogated, and detained by security agencies.