International Federation of Journalists Condemns Arrest of Three Journalists in Iran

The International Federation of Journalists, along with its affiliate, the Iranian Journalists' Association, issued a joint statement condemning the recent arrests of Morad Saghafi, Hengameh Shahidi, and Ehsan Mazandarani as "severe." According to the federation's website, the statement noted that with the upcoming presidential elections in Iran in May, "a new wave of crackdowns on journalists in Iran has begun, and the suppression of media and the arrest of media activists is on the rise." Previously, reports indicated that Morad Saghafi, a journalist and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Goftogoo," was arrested at his home on March 15. The statement mentioned that Mr. Saghafi has had only one phone call with his family, and the duration of his detention is unknown, as is the reason for his arrest. According to Saham News, close to Mehdi Karroubi, Morad Saghafi had recently held speeches and meetings on urban management and the role of councils. Additionally, Hengameh Shahidi was arrested on March 10 in Mashhad by the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office, and Ehsan Mazandarani was arrested on March 13 in front of his home by the IRGC's intelligence agents. Some reports indicated that Mr. Mazandarani was beaten by his captors. These reports have not yet been confirmed or denied by Iranian officials. Meanwhile, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, stated that the reason for Ehsan Mazandarani's arrest was the continuation and full execution of his sentence. However, Mazandarani's lawyer and family have stated that he had been released after completing his sentence. Mr. Mazandarani was arrested in November 2015 and released from prison on February 12 of this year. The International Federation of Journalists noted in its statement that these two journalists are in poor health due to illness. The statement also referred to the arrest of about ten administrators of news and information channels on Telegram by the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office, stating that the location of their detention and the charges against them are still unclear, and their news channels have either been renamed or deleted after their arrests. Recently, while attention is focused on the presidential and city council elections, reports have emerged of the arrest of several managers of reformist and pro-Hassan Rouhani Telegram channels, including Islahat News, Rouhani Supporters, Reformist Assembly, Islahat News, Long Live Reforms, Reformist Students, and Khatami Supporters in Yazd. These arrests have led to severe criticism from some members of parliament, such as Mahmoud Sadqi, a representative from Tehran, who accused the government and the judiciary of "indifference," "lack of accountability," and "violating citizens' rights." He also wrote a letter to Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, demanding that this military force refrain from entering political classifications in response to the mass arrests of Telegram channel managers. Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, has also called for explanations from the ministers of justice and intelligence, warning that if they do not respond, they should be impeached. Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the Hope faction in parliament, wrote on March 18 in the Etemad newspaper that recent actions against media activists are leading Iran down a path of securitization, which is incompatible with national interests. Elias Hazrati, Abdul Karim Hosseinzadeh, Bahram Parsai, and Mohammad Ali Vakili, four members of the Hope faction in parliament, also wrote a joint letter to Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, calling the recent arrests of journalists "suspicious" and stating that regardless of which security agency carried out the arrests, the Iranian president must be held accountable. The International Federation of Journalists likened the recent actions against media freedom in Iran to the protests following the 2009 presidential election results, noting that at that time, the Iranian government "waged a full-scale war against journalists, arresting many and blocking numerous websites." Anthony Bellanger, the Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists, stated that "we strongly condemn the arrest of our colleagues in Iran and the actions taken against citizen journalists on social media who share their views and opinions." He expressed regret that "this method of the Iranian government has become a common practice ahead of elections," assessing its goal as stopping the dissemination of information in the public sphere. The Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists stated, "Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of any democratic system, and journalists must be able to operate without fear or intimidation, and citizens must have free access to all information and news, especially before elections." Previously, Reporters Without Borders issued a statement on March 14, condemning the crackdown and pressure on journalists and calling for the unconditional release of all imprisoned journalists and citizen journalists. This organization states that the Islamic Republic of Iran, with 30 imprisoned journalists and citizen journalists, is one of the five largest prisons in the world for media activists. Iran is also ranked 169th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.