International Federation of Journalists: Immediately Release Prisoner Journalist Soltanali Abedi

The International Federation of Journalists has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Soltanali Abedi, a journalist exposing corruption in the Zahedan municipality. This international professional organization on Thursday, December 7, referred to the one-year prison sentence for the editor of the news site 'Diyar Aiyar', urging Iranian authorities to release him without delay and to end the imprisonment of journalists. Sharif Mansour, head of the Middle East and North Africa section at the International Federation of Journalists, emphasized that journalists must be able to operate without fear of arrest and imprisonment for reporting on officials. According to HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, Soltanali Abedi was arrested on Tuesday, December 4, after visiting the third branch of criminal enforcement in Zahedan and was transferred to prison to serve his sentence. The report states that exposing corruption in the Zahedan municipality has been cited as the basis for the charge of 'spreading falsehoods and defamation' against this journalist. The International Federation of Journalists reported that Soltanali Abedi has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times over the past few years after publishing critical reports about issues in Sistan and Baluchestan province, including water shortages and the performance of the governorate. According to this professional organization, previously, the publication of a critical report about the situation of the Zahedan City Council also led to threats against this journalist from council members and physical assault by a group of unknown individuals. Pressure on journalists in Iran intensified following nationwide protests that began at the end of September 2022, with the arrest of at least 73 journalists and photojournalists in the second half of last year, further pushing press freedom into a corner not seen in the past 45 years. According to the latest report by Reporters Without Borders on media freedom published on May 2, 2023, Iran ranks 177th out of 180 countries worldwide. A journalist residing in Iran previously told Voice of America that 'pressures on the media in Iran' have 'intensified significantly' following the nationwide protests in the second half of 2022, and the Islamic Republic's expectation from the media is 'to produce propaganda bulletins,' while they are pressured due to 'critical analyses' under vague titles like 'blackening.'