The 10-Year Prison Sentence of Reza Valizadeh, Former Radio Farda Journalist, Upheld by Appeals Court

An appeals court in Tehran has rejected the appeal of Reza Valizadeh, the Iranian-American journalist and former Radio Farda reporter, and upheld the initial court's ruling of a 10-year prison sentence. Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, Valizadeh's lawyer, announced this news on Wednesday, February 10, on X (formerly Twitter), stating that he visited Valizadeh to inform him of the rejection of his appeal. Valizadeh's relatives also confirmed this news to Radio Farda. Aghasi added, 'I had previously mentioned that the court's procedure tends to uphold the initial ruling, but perhaps a retrial could open the blindfold of justice.' In reaction to the confirmation of Valizadeh's 10-year prison sentence, he wrote, 'Ten years in prison cannot be the punishment for working in the media, even if it is opposing, because the accusation is propaganda against the regime, and the maximum punishment for that is one year in prison.' Judge Iman Afshari and Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced this journalist not only to 10 years in prison but also to a two-year ban on residing in Tehran and neighboring provinces, a ban on leaving the country, and a ban on membership in political and social parties and groups. This sentence was issued for the accusation of 'collaboration with the hostile government of the United States.' Aghasi had previously announced his intention to represent Valizadeh's family in protesting this ruling and requesting a retrial. Valizadeh, who resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after 10 years of service, returned to Iran on March 7, 2023, to visit his family after a period of living abroad and was arrested on October 23 of this year. During two court sessions on November 17 and 21, he managed to defend himself for half an hour and asked the judge to treat him with 'Islamic mercy' based on promises made to him earlier. Radio Farda has learned that in these two court sessions, in the absence of a prosecutor's representative, the judge also took on the role of the prosecutor and was harsh with the lawyer from the very beginning, calling the choice of a 'tie-wearing' lawyer the 'biggest mistake' of this journalist. Valizadeh's relatives told Radio Farda that he fell into a 'security trap' and that although he had been promised by some security forces during calls that he would not face any issues in Iran, he was arrested after a while and faced this heavy sentence. Following the news of Valizadeh's arrest, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned his arrest in separate statements. The U.S. State Department and Radio Free Europe also condemned Valizadeh's arrest as a U.S. citizen, deeming it 'unjust' and 'contrary to international law.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has been repeatedly accused of imprisoning foreign or dual nationals on various charges, including 'acts against national security' and 'espionage,' in an attempt to gain leverage from foreign countries or to secure the release of its own individuals from prisons in other countries.