Lawyer of Afrin Chitsaz: We Will Sue Allah-Karam

The lawyer of Afrin Chitsaz, a jailed journalist, announced that on behalf of his client, he will file a complaint against Hossein Allah-Karam for publishing a "false and unethical" article about the imprisoned journalist. Mohammad Ghaemi stated on his Facebook page that Ms. Chitsaz is currently in prison and "is not in good physical condition due to a torn meniscus in both knees." He added that under these circumstances, individuals in cyberspace have published a "false and unethical" article against his client. Mr. Ghaemi described this article as "clear instances of defamation, dissemination of falsehoods, and crimes against public decency and morality" and emphasized that such actions, which reflect weakness and foolishness, backfire, and public opinion judges these matters better than any court. He stressed that seeking justice in this matter is the legitimate right of his client and her family, and he will take legal action against these individuals "as soon as possible through legal and judicial channels." Hossein Allah-Karam, the secretary of the Coordination Council of Ansar Hezbollah, had recently written on his Instagram page that a woman named with the initials "A-Ch," who was arrested on charges of "espionage," had "confessed to an immoral relationship" with five ministers of Hassan Rouhani's cabinet. Mr. Allah-Karam claimed that the reason for Ali Jannati's resignation from the Ministry of Culture was also an "immoral relationship" with this individual. He emphasized with an image titled "Infiltration" that this matter has entered a new phase of moral corruption in the cabinet that could lead to a tsunami of shame. Mr. Allah-Karam did not provide any evidence for his claims. Afrin Chitsaz, Ehsan Mazandarani, Eisa Saharkhiz, and Saman Safarzadeh were arrested in November 2015, and Davood Asadi, the brother of journalist Hooshang Asadi, was also detained along with these journalists. The IRGC intelligence accused these journalists of being "members of a Western government infiltration network," but Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, and Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran, confirmed that the purpose of these arrests was a "political settlement." Afrin Chitsaz was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the first trial, which was reduced to two years in the appeals court. Ms. Chitsaz was granted leave in July for knee surgery due to wear and tear but was reported by the Kalemeh website in October to have returned to Evin Prison "under pressure from the IRGC's security section" after her knee surgery.