Transfer of Tahereh Riahi, Imprisoned Journalist, to Women's Ward of Evin Prison

The International Federation of Journalists reported that Tahereh Riahi, the detained journalist, has been transferred to the women's ward of Evin Prison after approximately two months in solitary confinement. Ms. Riahi, the social services editor of the Borna news agency and a reporter for the newspapers Shargh and Mardom-e Emruz, was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence forces at her home on December 28. The International Federation of Journalists, which had previously expressed concern about Tahereh Riahi's health, stated: 'According to reports, she has developed severe neurological problems in prison, to the extent that she has seizures every day in her cell and foams at the mouth.' According to this federation, her charge appears to be propaganda against the regime. Typically, journalists and civil and political activists in Iran are arrested and imprisoned on similar charges. The International Federation of Journalists has previously condemned the arrest of journalists in Iran and called for their immediate release. This international organization also strongly condemned the arrest of Hengameh Shahidi and the re-arrest of Ehsan Mazandarani on March 14, and protested against the beating of Eisa Saharkhiz in the hospital after he had recently ended his hunger strike. Prior to this, Mehdi Saharkhiz, the son of this journalist, had written on Twitter that agents had entered his father's hospital room under the pretext of a search and, while beating him, threatened him with death and decapitation. This news has not yet been confirmed or denied by any other source, and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not commented on this matter. Eisa Saharkhiz was sentenced to 21 months in prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in September of this year. Previously, he had been sentenced in a lower court to two years in prison for 'insulting the leadership' and one year in prison for 'propaganda against the regime.' In this context, the continued arrests of political and civil activists; the editor-in-chief of the magazine 'Goftogu' has been arrested; the wife of Ehsan Mazandarani: my husband's sentence had ended; another journalist has been arrested in Iran; Ehsan Mazandarani has gone on a 'dry hunger strike'; Hengameh Shahidi has been arrested on 'security charges'; Hengameh Shahidi, a journalist and former advisor to Mehdi Karroubi, has been re-arrested.