Fars News Agency Deems Summoning and Interrogation of Two Journalists 'Illegal'

After the spokesperson of the judiciary denied the arrest of two journalists from Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the agency reported on Thursday, July 8, that two of its journalists had been summoned and interrogated by the Ministry of Intelligence, calling this action 'illegal.' Several Telegram channels and social media users reported on Tuesday, July 6, the 'temporary detention' of Hamid Talebi and Ali Akbari, two journalists from Fars News Agency, on charges of 'organizing' group protests against the President of Iran during Al-Quds Day. Meanwhile, several journalists from conservative media outlets harshly criticized Hassan Rouhani's government for the 'detention' of these two journalists. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, denied reports of their 'detention' on the evening of Wednesday, July 7. Following this statement, Fars News Agency announced that the two journalists had been summoned by a 'government security agency' and were told that a detention order had been 'issued, and if they did not appear, they would be arrested at their residence.' According to the report, these two Fars journalists visited one of the Ministry of Intelligence's buildings on Tuesday and Wednesday and were 'interrogated' there until the evening, and they were asked to return to the same location at 10 AM on Thursday. This news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, referred to the judiciary spokesperson's remarks about no detention order being issued for its two journalists, stating that the Ministry of Intelligence had 'interrogated' its journalists 'without a judicial order,' and this action is 'definitely illegal.' Reports indicate that in recent years, especially after the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC's Intelligence Organization have summoned hundreds of political activists, journalists, and civil activists without judicial orders, either by phone to their main buildings or to locations in Tehran that have no signage. Additionally, several political activists have been arrested without a judicial order, and their detention orders were provided to them only after their arrest. Fars News Agency and other media outlets affiliated with the IRGC have defended the actions of the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC in detaining political activists critical of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government in the past and have published forced confessions of several political prisoners. Nevertheless, Fars News Agency stated that it has requested its two journalists not to visit the Ministry of Intelligence on Thursday, 'to clarify on what judicial order the agents of this agency summoned and interrogated these two journalists, and if any illegal actions are identified, it will reserve its right to pursue legal action.' Previously, some Telegram channels close to Hassan Rouhani had accused Mr. Talebi of 'organizing' protests against Rouhani during the Al-Quds Day rally, but he had denied this accusation before his arrest. During last Friday's rally, some people around Mr. Rouhani chanted slogans such as 'Death to the hypocrite' and 'Rouhani, your connection with Banisadr is blessed,' which received widespread media coverage in Iran. The Tehran prosecutor described this action as a 'flagrant crime,' and several officials from Rouhani's government, as well as Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, have called for action against those who insulted the President of Iran. The conflict between the Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC-affiliated media comes amid previous disagreements between the IRGC's Intelligence Organization and the judiciary on one side and the Ministry of Intelligence on the other regarding the detention of several Telegram channel managers. Meanwhile, Masoumeh Parishi, the wife of Mojtaba Bagheri, one of the Telegram channel managers, wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader, the head of the judiciary, the IRGC, and parliament representatives, stating that her husband has become 'the unfair sacrificial meat of the disputes between the two intelligence branches of the IRGC and the judiciary with the Ministry of Intelligence.' Hassan Rouhani, on April 21, criticized the detention of managers of several Telegram channels close to the government and threatened to publish a report from the Ministry of Intelligence regarding this matter. Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, also stated that the government opposes the detention of Telegram channel managers. However, two days later, the judiciary spokesperson responded to these remarks by saying that there are 'issues concerning the Minister of Intelligence' in this case, and he cannot prepare a report on this case. On the same day, Mahmoud Alavi responded by saying, 'I do not recognize a crime for the admins that I would be complicit in; it seems they are my accomplices in crime. Defending the government is not a small crime.' Subsequently, Mahmoud Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, announced that one of the detainees was an admin of the Minister of Intelligence's Telegram channel. In recent months, reports have emerged regarding the Ministry of Intelligence's treatment of labor activists, which have not been confirmed or denied by this ministry.