Reporters Without Borders Criticizes '38 Years of Suppression of Journalists' in Iran

Reporters Without Borders has announced that as the 38th anniversary of the revolution in Iran approaches, press freedom, one of the main demands of the 1979 revolution, has still not been realized in the country, and the suppression of journalists has continued in various forms throughout these years. In the organization's statement, it is mentioned that 'today, the Islamic Republic of Iran, with 30 imprisoned journalists and citizen journalists, is one of the five largest prisons in the world for media activists.' Reporters Without Borders stated that 'for thirty-eight years, the leader and officials of the regime have changed, but the suppression of journalists has not changed. Only the methods and forms of suppression to silence critical journalists have changed.' Arrests and executions of several journalists in the first decade after the revolution, 'official executions' during the dark years, and the elimination of intellectuals and journalists through abduction and street executions are among the initial methods of suppression and elimination of journalists by the Islamic Republic that Reporters Without Borders has referred to. The organization added that 'in the past 15 years, since the beginning of the 2000s, the regime has chosen another method of suppression. Decaying and killing in prison through torture and mistreatment or deprivation of medical treatment, a gradual but invisible death, is as severe and ruthless as other previous methods of suppression.' 'The killing of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in Evin prison during interrogation in 2003, the killing of young blogger Amir Reza MirSiyafi due to lack of treatment in Evin prison in 2008, the killing of blogger Sattar Beheshti due to mistreatment and torture in the Cyber Police detention center in 2012, and the death of Hadi Saber, a journalist for Iran Farda magazine, who died during a hunger strike in Evin prison in June 2011,' are among these cases. Reporters Without Borders stated in another part of its statement that 'pressure on journalists and media has increased as the presidential elections approach next year,' and 'in the past two months, a new wave of arrests has begun.' According to this statement, 'these arrests, which deprive journalists of their right to fair trial access, are contrary to national laws and a clear violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran is obligated to implement.' The arrest of Tahereh Riahi, the social media editor of Borna News at her workplace on December 27 of this year, Mehdi Khazali, publisher and manager of Baran website for the eighth time in the past seven years on February 6 of this year, Zeinab Karimian, a journalist and collaborator of 'Hala Khorshid' program of the Social Group of Channel Three, on February 23, and Saleh Deldam, a director, and their transfer to 'an unknown location' are among the criticisms of Reporters Without Borders regarding the Islamic Republic's treatment of journalists and intellectuals. Reporters Without Borders wrote that 'prison is not the only tool of the regime to silence journalists. The Islamic Penal Code in Iran considers corporal punishments for many crimes. In addition to the death penalty, torture (ta'zir), stoning, a Sharia judge can sentence the accused to endure lashes.' According to this organization, 'criticizing the regime's officials can be considered insult and defamation, and publishing news can be interpreted as spreading falsehoods, and under Articles 609 and 698 of the Islamic Penal Code, the offender can be sentenced to 74 lashes.' Reporters Without Borders has strongly criticized that 'this inhumane and medieval punishment [lashes] is increasingly being issued by courts for journalists.' As stated in this statement, 'from 2000 to 2005, at least five journalists were sentenced to 477 lashes. However, since June 2009, following the widespread arrests of journalists after public protests against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial election to the presidency, the issuance of this sentence has increased.' According to this report, from 2009 until now, '40 media activists have been sentenced to a total of 2000 lashes. The issuance of this inhuman sentence has reached its highest number this year.' The sentencing of Keyvan Karimi, a documentary filmmaker and imprisoned journalist, in addition to a prison sentence, to 223 lashes, Mohammad Reza Fathi to 459 lashes, and Mostafa Sharif to 40 lashes, and Mostafa Barari and Arash Shoa Shargh, managers of the Gilan Novin and Gilan Now news websites, for 'spreading falsehoods and publishing an unauthorized publication' to 114 and 40 lashes respectively are among the cases mentioned in the Reporters Without Borders report. The organization's statement mentioned that 'if previous sentences have not yet been executed, but Hossein Mohammadi, a journalist for Najafabad News website, endured 40 lashes for spreading falsehoods on January 5 of this year.' Reporters Without Borders added that 'the truth is that many lash sentences are not executed, but the humiliation and threat of this inhumane sentence will remain on the bodies of journalists.' Iran ranks 169th out of 180 countries in the global press freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders.