Detention Order for Sasan Aghaei, Journalist, Extended for Another Month

While Human Rights Watch has called for the release of Sasan Aghaei and Yaghma Fashkhami, two imprisoned journalists, reports indicate that Sasan Aghaei's detention order has been extended for another month. According to several websites, the second branch of the Media Prosecutor's Office extended the temporary detention of Sasan Aghaei, the deputy editor of the Etemad newspaper, for another month on Tuesday. Sasan Aghaei was arrested on August 12 and has been held in solitary confinement in Ward 241 of Evin Prison, which belongs to the Intelligence Protection of the Judiciary, since that date. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has urged Iranian officials to "immediately release or conduct a fair trial" for Sasan Aghaei and Yaghma Fashkhami. According to this organization, the judiciary and security agencies have kept these two journalists in detention "without a clear charge." A source close to Sasan Aghaei's family, who wished to remain anonymous, informed the organization that this journalist is "under pressure" to "confess to connections with the Amad News website." Additionally, some websites reported that interrogators cited the confessions of others against him as the sole reason for his detention. Sasan Aghaei's mother stated in an interview with Etemad newspaper on August 22 that her son "strongly insisted that he has not committed any illegal act" during his time at the prosecutor's office. Sasan Aghaei has been arrested multiple times in recent years. Yaghma Fashkhami, another imprisoned journalist, was arrested on the evening of August 21 this year. Reza Moieni, the Iran desk officer at Reporters Without Borders, believes these arrests signify the beginning of a new wave of repression against journalists in Iran. Mr. Fashkhami was also arrested in 2015 and was imprisoned for a period. The ongoing detention of journalists in Iran comes at a time when some imprisoned journalists have lost their health during their time in prison. Alireza Rajai, a journalist and national-religious activist, lost his right eye and part of the muscle and bones on the right side of his face after surgery. While Mr. Rajai's family reported a lack of medical care during his imprisonment, the judiciary spokesperson claimed that Mr. Rajai received medical services while incarcerated and developed cancer after his release. The International Federation of Journalists has called the neglect of Alireza Rajai's treatment in prison "unacceptable and a severe violation of human rights" and has urged the Islamic Republic to take responsibility for what happened to this journalist and to provide medical care for other imprisoned journalists, including Ehsan Mazandarani. Malihe Hosseini, the wife of Ehsan Mazandarani, tweeted about her husband's condition, stating that "his stomach accepts nothing but water, and the prosecutor does not even allow him medical leave." Ehsan Mazandarani, a jailed journalist, has previously gone on hunger strikes in protest against issues such as illegal detention and mistreatment by prison officials. Eisa Saharkhiz and Afrin Chitsaz, who were arrested in November 2015 along with Ehsan Mazandarani, remain imprisoned. Meanwhile, according to the Human Rights Defenders website, Afrin Chitsaz, a jailed journalist, has been on hunger strike since September 3 in protest against the prevention of her release on the date announced by the judiciary. According to this report, the prosecutor's office did not consider the time Ms. Chitsaz spent in the hospital as part of her prison time. The movement of buses from the Unit Company with their lights on in protest against the detention of Reza Shahabi. According to reports, after a month of Reza Shahabi's hunger strike and the lack of attention to his situation, several drivers from the Unit Company kept their bus lights on and drove at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour on Wednesday, September 13. The Telegram channel of the Unit Workers' Syndicate reported that after this action, numerous security patrols and inspections sent the buses with their lights on "to the parking lot" and "for an hour the number of lit lights decreased." According to this report, with the start of the evening shift, drivers once again expressed their protest by turning on their lights. On Wednesday, some students and civil and labor activists also spoke to passengers on buses and at bus stations, explaining Reza Shahabi's situation to them. This action was carried out in response to a call from the bus drivers' union. On Tuesday, September 5, a gathering was also held in front of the parliament to demand the release of Reza Shahabi, a jailed member of the board of directors of the Unit Workers' Syndicate of Tehran and its suburbs. Reza Shahabi, a labor activist and former driver of the Unit Company, has been on hunger strike for more than a month, and his health condition has been reported as "critical." Mr. Shahabi, under pressure from the prosecutor's office to return him to prison, reported to Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj on August 9. After going to prison and learning that his medical leave was not counted as part of his sentence and that he had to remain in prison for 968 days, he went on hunger strike. According to the Unit Workers' Syndicate of Tehran and its suburbs, "the prosecutor's claim of five months absence from Shahabi's six-year prison sentence" was made while he had seen "the release letter and completion of his six-year sentence dated September 9, 2015, in his prison file" after returning to prison. Shahabi's renewed detention has drawn international criticism, with the International Transport Workers' Federation, the International Confederation of Trade Unions, five national labor unions from France, unions from Canada and Sweden, and the British Trades Union Congress calling for his release and that of other imprisoned labor activists.