International Federation of Journalists: Media Activists in Iran Should Be Released

On Saturday, January 22, the International Federation of Journalists released the names of six journalists currently imprisoned in Iran, emphasizing that journalism is not a crime and calling on the Islamic Republic to free all imprisoned journalists and media activists. The journalists whose names were published on the federation's Telegram channel are Vida Rabani, Saideh Shafiei, Reza Valizadeh, Mostafa Naimati, Zhina Modarres-Gorji, and Mohammad Hossein (Mehrdad) Aladin. The International Federation of Journalists noted that Dominique Pradalie, the head of this global organization, previously condemned media repression in Iran, stating: "The imprisonment of journalists is a warning sign at the international level. We once again condemn the baseless accusations against our colleagues and urge Iranian authorities to drop all charges against them." This international journalists' organization pointed out that the publication of the names of six journalists is based on statistics released from official sources and wrote: there is a possibility of more individuals being imprisoned due to the lack of transparency from Iranian authorities regarding journalists. Meanwhile, 'Defending the Flow of Free Information' reported on Saturday that in 2024, the Islamic Republic targeted at least 256 journalists and media outlets in 385 instances of judicial and security actions. According to this report, in 2024, prison sentences were executed against 11 journalists, and at least 36 journalists and media activists were detained in Iran. The federation of journalists stated that the Iranian government is a 'suppressor of press freedom.' The Human Rights Defenders Center called for the immediate release of Reza Valizadeh, who has been forced to give a televised interview with interrogators.