Authorities urged to stop harassing journalists and allow free coverage of the electoral crisis

Reporters Without Borders is concerned at an upsurge in harassment and obstruction of journalists since the 11 January ruling barring huge numbers of reformist candidates from contesting 20 February parliamentary elections. The international press freedom organisation has called on the authorities in the Islamic Republic to allow journalists to freely report on the political crisis currently shaking the country. Reporters Without Borders also urged the authorities to grant visas to all foreign journalists who apply for them. Eight reformist dailies - Yas-e no, Sharq, Nassim-e Sabah, Tosseh, Aftab-e Yazd, E'temad, Hambastegi, et Mardomsalari - were threatened by the legal authorities in the week of 29 January for their coverage of the sit-in by reformist deputies in front of the parliament. Prosecutor Said Mortazavi has called on the Ministry for Culture and Islamic Orientation to issue a warning to these newspapers accusing them of "sowing discord". The prosecutor went even further on 8 February with the threat, "Any newspaper carrying articles about the election boycott will be immediately closed down." Five journalists have also been officially summoned by the Justice Ministry: - Shadi Sadr, journalist at Yas-e no and publisher of the site www.womeniran.com is due to appear shortly before a court in Qazvin to respond to a complaint from the prosecutor's office. - Abdollah Nasseri, head of the official IRNA news agency, was summoned by Section 1083 of the Teheran court to respond to complaints from the prosecutor's office linked to his coverage of the political crisis. - Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, editor-in-chief of several major banned reformist newspapers, was summoned on 28 January by the 6th section of the Teheran court over his articles on the parliamentary crisis. - Abdolrassul Vessal, publisher of the daily Iran, was summoned by the 6th section of Teheran court over its report on the government spokesman's speech during the reformist deputies' sit-in at parliament. He is accused of "publishing false news". - Rassul Montakhabnia, reformist deputy and journalist, was summoned by the Clergy Court over a highly critical article about a speech by the Guide of the Islamic Republic about the press in Iran. Throughout the country and particularly in provincial cities, journalists have confirmed to Reporters Without Borders that they have received phone threats over articles about the political crisis. Courts have summoned some newspaper bosses this week on the basis of complaints laid many months or even years earlier. Finally, several media have been shut down: - The weekly Hadith-e Kerman, in Kerman province was closed on 7 February for coverage last year of serial killings committed by armed militia. -Another weekly in Khorrassan province, No Andish, was suspended for one year on 4 February on the order of the 7th appeal court in Mashhad, on the basis of a complaint from the prosecutor's office. The editor-in-chief, the publisher and a journalist were fined five million rials (about 500 euros at the official rate) and another journalist was fined 1 million de rials (about 100 euros).