Hundreds of Journalists Demand Judiciary to Free Yashar Soltani

More than 700 journalists from dozens of publications and news agencies have called for the release of Yashar Soltani, the editor-in-chief of the website "Architecture News," in an open letter addressed to officials of the judiciary. According to ILNA news agency on Saturday (October 22), the letter requests judicial authorities to "legally free" Mr. Soltani and then address his "charges." Yashar Soltani, the editor-in-chief of "Architecture News," which revealed the transfer of municipal properties in Tehran, was arrested on Saturday, September 17, after visiting the prosecutor's office and remains in custody. A request from 40 student organizations from various universities in Iran, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and some members of parliament for Mr. Soltani's release has also been fruitless so far. Images of a letter from the General Inspection Organization have been published on the Architecture News website and other media, stating that the Tehran municipality illegally sold 200 properties belonging to it at "unrealistic" and "very low" prices, with a "50 percent" discount and in "60-month" installments to certain managers of this institution and others close to the mayor of Tehran. On October 4, Yashar Soltani faced new charges from the prosecutor for "collecting classified information with the aim of undermining national security." The judiciary also blocked two news agencies, Moj and Borna, and several news websites, including Pouyesh, 9 Sobhe, and Persian Khodro, due to "complaints in judicial authorities" on September 14. The Borna news agency was unblocked on September 20, but the other websites remain blocked. The letter from journalists and media activists for the release of the editor-in-chief of the filtered website "Architecture News" is the latest of these requests. The letter also requests that the judiciary address the claims from both sides of the issue simultaneously and then issue a ruling. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, and some members of the Tehran City Council are mentioned as plaintiffs in Yashar Soltani's case. It has been reported that the plaintiffs believe the reports from "Architecture News" regarding the "illegal" transfer of 200 properties by the Tehran municipality to managers and certain individuals are "defective." Journalists in their letter have responded to these complaints, stating that the judiciary should take legal action against Mr. Soltani for spreading falsehoods if the reports about the transfer of municipal properties are proven to be "untrue." The signatories of this letter also wrote that their efforts and activities aim to "restore transparency" and "assist oversight and judicial institutions," and that Mr. Soltani's release would provide "peace of mind" to journalists. The letter states that one of the results of journalists' "peace of mind" will be the "strengthening" of the "proud bastion of the country in the face of incompetents." In another part of the letter, reference is made to "foreign media" that "are always on the lookout for opportunities to exploit them to pursue their hegemonic policies." The signing journalists wrote that "opportunists take advantage of our shortcomings" but "we pay no heed to the propaganda of sworn enemies of Iran." The letter adds that journalists view the effort to clarify ambiguities in the implementation of the law as "more than just pouring water into the enemy's mill" and assess it as "binding the dirty hands of the enemy in the conspiracy of Iranophobia."