New Security Charges Filed in Case of Yashar Soltani, Director of Blocked Architecture News Website

"The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran" reported, citing an informed source, that a new charge has been filed against Yashar Soltani, the director of the blocked website "Architecture News," under the title "Collecting Classified Information with the Aim of Disrupting National Security." According to the report, with this new charge, the prosecutor's office opposed Yashar Soltani's release on bail and extended his detention order. Yashar Soltani, who was initially accused of "spreading falsehoods" for publishing news about the transfer of municipal properties at low prices, is now facing a new charge of "collecting classified information with the aim of disrupting national security." Initially, a bail of 200 million tomans was set for Yashar Soltani, but after the bail was secured, the prosecutor refused to approve it until this new security charge was communicated to him on October 4. According to an informed source regarding Yashar Soltani's case, the basis of his charge is the publication of a letter from the General Inspection Organization of Iran, which was initially raised as "spreading falsehoods" and is now being presented as "collecting classified information with the aim of disrupting national security." Yashar Soltani was arrested on September 18 after being summoned to the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office. "Architecture News" is a news-analysis website in the field of urban planning and development that was filtered on September 1, following the disclosure of news about the transfer of properties at significantly discounted prices by the Tehran municipality, as ordered by judicial authorities. The news of the security charges in Yashar Soltani's case comes as Rahmatollah Hafezi, the head of the Health Commission of the Tehran City Council, requested on October 6 that the head of the Iranian judiciary remove the case of the "Architecture News" director from security matters and handle it as a press issue. Simultaneously, Abdolhossein Mokhtabad, a member of the Cultural Commission of the Tehran City Council, suggested that Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf withdraw his complaint against "Architecture News." However, these requests have faced criticism from some members of the Tehran City Council. For instance, Reza Taghipour accused some members of the Tehran City Council of interfering in the judiciary's jurisdiction. According to ISNA news agency, Abolfazl Ghanavati and Morteza Talayi, other members of the Tehran City Council, also criticized Rahmatollah Hafezi's statements, with Morteza Talayi, who chaired the council meeting, stating, "Real individuals have filed complaints due to the accusations this site (Architecture News) has made against them." Abolfazl Ghanavati, whose name was among those published by "Architecture News" regarding receiving properties without regulation, stated, "Some council members' names have been unjustly mentioned." Earlier, Yashar Soltani's defense attorney, Sadegh Kashani, announced that his client has three complainants. Accordingly, the first complaint pertains to the publication of news about the wedding of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's daughter, the mayor of Tehran, in Lavasan Forest Park. "Architecture News" reported that due to the wedding ceremony of the mayor's daughter in Lavasan Forest Park on July 9, access to the park was prevented for several days beforehand. The Tehran municipality denied this report. The attorney for the director of Architecture News also stated that his client has been complained against for publishing news about the appointment of Mehdi Chamran's son, the head of the Tehran City Council, as the deputy of the Abbasabad Land Redevelopment Company. "Architecture News" reported that in 2015, one month before the auditing case of the Abbasabad Redevelopment Company was reviewed in the Tehran City Council, senior municipal officials appointed Mohammad Hossein Chamran, Mehdi Chamran's son, as the deputy of architecture and urban planning for this company. Mehdi Chamran denied any connection between his son's appointment and the prevention of the auditing case of the Abbasabad Redevelopment Company. According to Mr. Soltani's attorney, the publication of reports about the transfer of Tehran municipal properties is the third complaint filed against Yashar Soltani, the director of "Architecture News." Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists have recently issued separate statements calling for the release of Yashar Soltani, the director of "Architecture News." In this context, the spokesperson for the judiciary stated that the filtering of the website was not related to the municipal case. Reporters Without Borders criticized Hassan Rouhani's performance regarding freedom of expression in Iran. The "new scandal" of astronomical properties in the City Council has led to confrontations over the whistleblower of "corruption" in the Tehran municipality.