Prison Sentences Issued for Four Iranian Journalists After Months of Detention

After months of detention, Afrin Chitsaz, Ehsan Mazandarani, Davood Asadi, and Ehsan Safarzadeh, four journalists labeled as security threats by Iranian media, have been sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, the lawyer representing all these individuals except Ehsan Safarzadeh, stated on Tuesday, May 7, that Afrin Chitsaz received a ten-year sentence, Ehsan Mazandarani was sentenced to seven years, and Davood Asadi was given five years in prison. Additionally, Iman Mirzazadeh, the defense lawyer for Ehsan Safarzadeh, mentioned that his client has been sentenced to five years in prison. The charge against Mr. Safarzadeh is 'conspiracy and collusion with the intent to disrupt national security.' Mr. Mirzazadeh indicated that an appeal against this ruling will be submitted to the court in the coming days to seek a review of his client's sentence. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai had previously stated that the common charges against all these detainees include 'propaganda against the regime, conspiracy, collusion, and actions against national security.' Some of them have also been accused of spreading falsehoods, and Afrin Chitsaz has been accused of connections with foreign governments. Ehsan Mazandarani, the editor-in-chief of the Farhikhtegan newspaper, Afrin Chitsaz, a reporter for the state-run Iran newspaper, Ehsan (Saman) Safarzadeh, a former reporter for the Etemad newspaper and a part-time reporter for Andisheh Pouya magazine, and Davood Asadi, a journalist, along with Eisa Saharkhiz, an independent journalist, were arrested on November 2, 2015. Despite the sentencing of four of these individuals, Eisa Saharkhiz is still awaiting his verdict. One day after these arrests, the Intelligence Protection Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took responsibility for the detentions and announced that these individuals were members of a network linked to the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom. Twenty other journalists were summoned in the following days for questioning. The heavy sentences for these individuals come nearly six months after Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, stated on November 10 of last year that their release would not take long and that there would be no issues. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, mentioned in his press conference this week that the sentences for four of the five defendants in this case were issued in the presence of their lawyers. In this context, there is a disagreement between the investigator and the prosecutor regarding the charges against two imprisoned journalists. Reporters Without Borders: Eisa Saharkhiz's life is in danger. The trial of Saman Safarzadeh, the imprisoned journalist, 'will be held.' Safarzadeh went to court, while Saharkhiz's trial was postponed. Eisa Saharkhiz has 'fainted twice.' The lawyer for Ehsan Mazandarani stated that the issue of infiltration was not raised in his client's case. Reporters Without Borders: Iran is the largest prison for women media activists. Human Rights Watch: Iran should ensure political defendants have access to lawyers. Concerns are raised regarding Eisa Saharkhiz's health status. The lawyer for the imprisoned journalists stated that there is no information regarding the case of 'Afrin Chitsaz.'