Reporters Without Borders Criticizes the Situation of Imprisoned Journalists in Iran

On Thursday, Reporters Without Borders issued a statement expressing concern over the situation of several imprisoned journalists and bloggers in Iran. This freedom of expression advocacy group states that the health conditions of Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, a blogger, Saeed Razavi Faqih, a journalist, Roya Saberi Nejad Nobakht, a blogger, and Narges Mohammadi, spokesperson for the Human Rights Defenders Center, all currently in prison, are 'worrisome.' Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, a blogger and civil activist, has been on medical leave since last June after posting bail of 1.4 billion tomans. On Wednesday, January 30, he was summoned to the Tehran Prosecutor's Office and transferred to Evin Prison. His family claims that according to doctors' assessments, the prison conditions are 'unsuitable' for his health. Ronaghi was sentenced to 15 years in prison in October 2010 for 'membership in the Iran Proxy internet group and propaganda against the regime.' Saeed Razavi Faqih, another imprisoned journalist who underwent heart surgery last year, is also reported to have 'concerning' health conditions in prison. He has been incarcerated since March 2014 and was sentenced to a total of four and a half years for 'actions against national security, propaganda against the regime, and insulting the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Roya Saberi Nejad Nobakht, a dual Iranian-British national, is another prisoner whose health is of concern to Reporters Without Borders. She was arrested by security agents in Iran in October 2013 and sentenced to five years in prison for 'insulting sacred values.' Dariush Taghipour, her husband, stated last year that the basis of her charges was her online activities. Reporters Without Borders also expressed concern for Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned vice president and spokesperson of the Human Rights Defenders Center. She was last arrested by security agents in May and had previously been sentenced to six years in prison in 2010 for 'collusion and conspiracy against national security, propaganda against the regime, and membership in the Human Rights Defenders Center.' Taghi Rahmani, Mohammadi's husband, stated that she suffers from muscular paralysis and that the prison conditions are 'dangerous' for her. In its statement, Reporters Without Borders mentioned that it had sent a letter to Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in March 2015, criticizing the conditions of journalists in Iranian prisons and calling for his immediate action on the matter. Reza Moini, head of the Iran and Afghanistan office at Reporters Without Borders, stated: 'According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran is a signatory to, depriving someone of medical treatment can be considered a violation of the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.' Shirin Ebadi, head of the Human Rights Defenders Center and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2003, also expressed hope in an open letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that one day the doors of prisons would open for all political and ideological prisoners in Iran. She criticized the 'unjust trials' of political and ideological prisoners in her letter, stating: 'I regret that other prisoners who only hold Iranian citizenship must suffer in prison.' The arrest of journalists and political and civil activists in Iran has been a constant subject of criticism from human rights organizations, the UN, and Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in recent years, while Iranian officials describe these reports as 'biased and political.'