Judiciary Calls Hunger Strike of Telegram Channel Managers a 'Rumor'

The spokesperson for Iran's judiciary dismissed reports of a hunger strike by detained managers of Telegram channels as a 'rumor' and stated that other individuals need to be 'summoned' and 'investigated' in this case. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, in response to a question from ILNA news agency, called the reports about the hunger strike of several Telegram channel managers 'rumor' and said, 'If someone has a valid point, they will express it, and their case will be pursued.' He added, 'The case of these individuals is under investigation. Others must also be summoned and questioned.' On June 10, Ejei had also reported that an indictment had been issued for eight of these individuals, and their case had been sent to court. The Khabar Online website reported on June 30 that several managers of Telegram channels close to the government and reformists had gone on hunger strike after about 100 days of detention in protest against the handling of their case and their situation. According to the report, Nima Keshvari, Saeed Naqdi, Sobhan Jafari Tash, Javad Jamshidi, and Ali Ahmadnia are among the prisoners who have gone on hunger strike. These Telegram channel managers were detained last December. Ali Mojtahedzadeh, a lawyer for some of these individuals, stated in an interview with the Jamaran website on June 31 that the charges against his clients 'are not legal and are mostly political disputes.' He reported that the trial for this case is scheduled to be held in late August. Meanwhile, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, stated on June 20 that 'it has been emphasized that their case should be handled as quickly and seriously as possible, and the investigator is diligently pursuing the matter.' Pourmohammadi mentioned that the charges against the managers of these Telegram channels are that they 'published news that should not have been published.' Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, criticized the detention of managers of several Telegram channels close to the government on April 21 and threatened to publish a report from the Ministry of Intelligence regarding this matter. Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, also announced that the government opposes the detention of Telegram channel managers. In response, the spokesperson for the judiciary stated 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 to this statement, saying, 'I do not know of any crime for the admins [of the websites] that I would be complicit in; it seems they are my accomplices. Defending the government is not a minor crime.' Following this, Mahmoud Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, announced that one of the detained individuals was the admin of the Minister of Intelligence's Telegram channel. In addition to the managers of the Telegram channels, several journalists, including Morad Saghafi, Hengameh Shahidi, and Ehsan Mazandarani, as well as Ramin Karimi, a researcher and translator, have also been detained. According to reports, Morad Saghafi has been released, while Hengameh Shahidi and Ehsan Mazandarani remain imprisoned, but no reports have been published regarding Ramin Karimi's status. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, June 30, Saeed Saif, the head of the 'Didban Iran' website, reported that his wife, Asal Ismailzadeh, a news photographer, has been detained. According to ILNA news agency, he said, 'Although I was the accused in my case, when my wife and I went to the prosecutor's office yesterday, the judge issued an order for my wife's detention.' Saif did not provide further details about the reasons for his wife's detention, and no new reports regarding Ms. Ismailzadeh's status have been published in the following days.