Sasan Aghaei, Journalist, Released After Four Months in Prison

Sasan Aghaei, a journalist and deputy editor of the newspaper 'Etemad', was released from Evin Prison on Wednesday, December 20, after enduring approximately four months of imprisonment. The Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, briefly reported Aghaei's release, stating that he was 'freed after converting his detention order.' However, the report did not provide details on how his detention order was converted. Meanwhile, the website 'Kalemeh' reported that he was released on bail. Aghaei was arrested on August 12, and according to his family, he spent a significant portion of his detention in solitary confinement in Ward 241 of Evin Prison, which is managed by the Intelligence Protection of the Judiciary. The lack of attention to Aghaei's charges and his solitary confinement led to protests from Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, who mentioned Aghaei's name and stated that the Iranian judiciary keeps journalists 'in solitary confinement for a long time in violation of the law, hoping that under psychological and physical pressure, they will confess to the charges against them.' Previously, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, stated that Aghaei faced security charges and that his detention order had been continuously extended every month. However, Ejei never provided further explanations regarding these charges. Aghaei had also been arrested during the events of 2009 in Iran and sentenced to one year in prison for 'propaganda against the regime.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently faced severe criticism from international organizations active in the field of freedom of expression. Among these organizations is Reporters Without Borders, which named Iran one of the largest prisons for journalists in the world in 2017, alongside Turkey, China, and Syria. The latest report from this organization, published on December 19, states that there are currently 23 journalists imprisoned in Iran.