Reporters Without Borders: Rouhani Must Fulfill His Promises

On Thursday, August 12, Reporters Without Borders called on Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, to fulfill the promises he made to the Iranian people during his second term in office. According to the Reporters Without Borders website, the organization also demanded that Rouhani commit to ensuring 'freedom of information and a rule-of-law government.' These demands were made in light of Rouhani's inauguration day. The organization stated that on May 27, just two days before the presidential elections, it urged candidates to clearly express their commitment to 'improving the state of freedom of information.' Reporters Without Borders noted that 'on this day, the Islamic Republic of Iran remains one of the five largest prisons for media activists in the world, with 27 journalists and citizen journalists imprisoned.' It wrote: 'During Rouhani's four years in office, at least 200 journalists and citizen journalists have been summoned and interrogated, and 32 of them have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to 16 years.' Reporters Without Borders pointed out that 'while the judiciary and the Revolutionary Guards, under the command of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, bear primary responsibility for suppressing independent information, Rouhani’s Ministry of Intelligence has also participated in the repression of media and the detention of journalists critical of the regime.' According to the report, several journalists and citizen journalists have been arrested and imprisoned by 'agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.' Reporters Without Borders stated: 'In the wave of arrests from December to March 1395 (2016), at least six journalists were arrested and imprisoned by this ministry,' adding that Narges Mohammadi, Hengameh Shahidi, and Zeynab Kariman, who are in poor conditions in detention, are clear examples of this repression and among the victims of this ministry's arrests. These criticisms come at a time when Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated in May 2015 that 'we do not imprison anyone in Iran for their beliefs.' He added: 'Those who commit crimes or violate the laws of the country cannot hide behind being journalists or political activists.' Reporters Without Borders also wrote in its statement that the President should not forget that it was based on promises such as 'freedom for political prisoners, freedom of expression and the press, and lifting house arrest' that he was able to gain 'broad support from reformists and progressives in Iran, including youth and women.' The organization emphasized the necessity of fulfilling these demands, noting that 'as long as these demands are not met, the people of Iran cannot enjoy freedom and a rule-of-law government.' Reporters Without Borders also called on Rouhani to end the house arrest of Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard, stating that this 'house arrest is arbitrary and contrary to domestic laws and international standards.' Unconditional freedom for 27 journalists and citizen journalists, fundamental reform of media laws, including guarantees against arbitrary detention of journalists, and freedom of expression without discrimination based on language, religion, and political beliefs are among the other demands of Reporters Without Borders. The organization also called for the right to form associations and join unions for journalists to be guaranteed in order to 'defend their solidarity' and urged Rouhani's government to 'guarantee the right to know and access free internet, without filtering and control for the people of Iran.' The cancellation of the implementation of the Halal (national) internet plan is another demand of Reporters Without Borders. The organization also demanded that those responsible for the murders of critical journalists such as Ebrahim Zalzadeh, Majid Sharif, Mohammad Mokhtari, Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, Pirouz Davani, Zahra Kazemi, Aifer Sarche, Omidreza Mirsiafi, Alireza Eftekhari, Haleh Sahabi, Hadi Saber, and Sattar Beheshti should not remain unpunished. Reporters Without Borders also pointed out that the Islamic Republic of Iran ranks 165th out of 180 countries in the 2017 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. Previously, according to the website of the International Federation of Journalists, the global congress of this international body, held recently in Angers, France, from June 8 to 10, called for the release of imprisoned journalists in Iran based on a request from the representative of the Iranian Journalists' Association. Furthermore, 29 members of the European Parliament had previously requested on May 12 that the Iranian authorities release journalists, political prisoners, and managers of Telegram channels. In a letter addressed to Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, they requested that she convey these demands 'to her counterparts in the Iranian government and inform them that further development of relations between the European Union and Iran will only be successful if it is accompanied by respect for rights and improvement of the situation of the Iranian people.'