Dozens of Iranian Journalists Condemn Violations of Rights of Imprisoned Journalists

76 Iranian journalists expressed "great concern" over the "harassment of journalists in Iran," including the "serious consequences" of the hunger strikes of Ehsan Mazandarani and Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, two imprisoned journalists. They called for the "immediate release" of their colleagues and condemned the "violation of their legal rights" by any authority or institution. In a letter published on Sunday, June 13, they stated that the hunger strikes of Ehsan Mazandarani and Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand have faced "regrettable indifference" from the judiciary and the government. The signatories of this letter, expressing "great concern" about the "serious consequences" of the hunger strikes of these two imprisoned journalists and the "continuation of the detention and harassment of journalists," demanded their "immediate release" and condemned the "violation of their legal rights" by any authority or institution. Meanwhile, Sam Hosseini, the brother-in-law of Ehsan Mazandarani, reported in an interview that this imprisoned journalist was returned to prison on Saturday despite his "very critical" health condition. According to Hosseini, Ehsan Mazandarani is on the twenty-eighth day of his hunger strike, and doctors have indicated that there is a "risk of heart attack and coma" for him. Ehsan Mazandarani had been transferred to Sina Hospital in Tehran due to "infections in the trachea, lungs, and intestines," and according to Hosseini, he was returned to prison without having recovered. Previously, Hosseini had reported that on Sunday, June 6, "one of the prison guards" in the hospital, after "insulting and verbally abusing" the sister of this imprisoned journalist, had confiscated her niece's "tablet" without providing a receipt. After this altercation, Ehsan Mazandarani requested to return to prison, and when he got up from the bed, this official "attacked him and squeezed his right hand, which was connected to an IV, causing Ehsan Mazandarani to faint." The signatories of the letter also stated that Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, on the verge of completing his tenth year in prison, has been "deprived of the most basic rights enshrined in domestic and international laws" and is facing new charges. According to the authors of this letter, the application of Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code (executing the maximum of one punishment instead of the accumulation of issued sentences) has been prevented regarding this imprisoned journalist. Reports indicate that Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand temporarily ended his hunger strike on Friday, June 11, following the issuance of a verdict acquitting him of new charges. Mr. Kabudvand had been on hunger strike since May 8 in protest against what he called "the formation of a new judicial case with fabricated charges" and "the non-application of the accumulation of crimes regarding his sentences." Previously, Parinaz Baghban Hosseini, Mr. Kabudvand's wife, had reported that he was summoned from prison to the prosecutor's office on charges such as sending messages of "congratulations for the liberation of Kobani" and "requesting peace between Turkey and the Kurds," and "a case is set to be formed against him." She also stated that the accumulation of crimes regarding Mr. Kabudvand's charges had "not been applied contrary to the law." The consideration of the accumulation of crimes usually leads to a reduction in the number of prisoners. Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, Secretary-General of the "Kurdistan Human Rights Defense Organization" and editor-in-chief of the banned newspaper "Payam Mardom," was sentenced to 10 years for "acting against national security" through the establishment and management of the "Kurdistan Human Rights Organization" and one year in prison for "propaganda against the regime." John Kirby, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, and several international human rights organizations had previously called for Mr. Kabudvand's release. According to Reporters Without Borders, Iran, with "34 imprisoned journalists and citizen journalists," is one of the five largest prisons in the world for media activists. China, Egypt, Turkey, and Eritrea are other countries that have the most journalists in their prisons. Meanwhile, Roozbeh Mir Ebrahimi, one of the signatories of the letter from Iranian journalists, told Radio Farda that Ehsan Mazandarani and Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand are "symbols" of the situation of journalists in Iran who have been imprisoned despite having done nothing but engage in professional journalism. He expressed hope that there would be a "listening ear" in the Islamic Republic to heed the warnings raised in the letter from 76 journalists and that imprisoned journalists would be released. According to Mr. Mir Ebrahimi, the judiciary is "afraid of the flow of information" and wants journalists to be "obedient to the reading and instructions of the official directives, which contradicts the philosophy of journalism and the mission of informing journalists." Despite numerous reports about the arrest and imprisonment of journalists, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, claimed on Tuesday, May 16, that "we have the greatest security for journalists within the country" and that the crimes of journalists who are detained in Iran are "related to the internal and external security of the country."