UN's Request to Iran: End Intimidation of Journalists

UN human rights experts on Wednesday, November 20, urged Iran to stop the arrest, intimidation, and interrogation of journalists and other civil activists, and to facilitate free discussion ahead of the parliamentary elections in March. According to Reuters, these experts issued a joint statement calling on the Islamic Republic to release all journalists, including Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter in Tehran, who they said had been 'arbitrarily and unlawfully detained for their peaceful activities based on fundamental rights.' Jason Rezaian, who holds Iranian-American citizenship, was arrested in the summer of 2014 on charges of espionage, and a court ruling against him was issued last month, although the details of the ruling have not been disclosed. Last week, plainclothes agents from the IRGC Intelligence Organization arrested Isa Saharkhiz, the former director of press at the Ministry of Culture during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, Ehsan Mazandarani, the editor-in-chief of Farhikhtegan newspaper, Afrin Chitsaz, a columnist for Iran newspaper, and Saman Safarzadeh, a reporter for Andisheh Pouya magazine. The Iranian government should not silence critical and opposing voices under vague and baseless security concerns. Ahmad Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, also announced on Tuesday that Solmaz Ikdar, an Iranian journalist, was sentenced to three years in prison for charges such as 'insulting the leadership and propaganda against the regime.' Ibrahim Raisi, Iran's Attorney General, referred to the arrested journalists as 'an infiltrating network in the media and social networks' and also as 'spies and mercenaries with American pens.' Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani stated on November 4 that the term 'infiltration' should not be played with. He said: 'We should not arbitrarily arrest one or two people from here or there under some pretext and then inflate that case in the country. Then say this line is the 'infiltration line.' We should genuinely fight against infiltration. We should not play with words. Playing with words is truly detrimental to the country and national unity.' Reuters reports that Ahmad Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, stated regarding the recent arrests that security and intelligence officials have arrested several journalists in the past month, indicating a 'new crackdown on freedom of expression and media.' He noted that several journalists and civil activists have also been summoned for questioning. Mr. Shaheed emphasized: 'The Iranian government should not silence critical and opposing voices under vague and baseless security concerns.' Reports indicate that as of May this year, at least 45 journalists are imprisoned in Iran, one of the highest figures in the world. David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, stated: 'Freedom of expression is central to ensuring open, free, and fair political processes.'