Blogger Esmail Jafari released

Esmail Jafari, editor of the blog Rah Mardom (The voice of the people - http://www.poutin.blogfa.com), was released by the authorities on 24 April 2008 three weeks after being arrested, accused of “espionage” and “divulging information abroad”. “We are pleased for Esmail Jafari, who was being held illegally and groundlessly since 8 April, however the authorities have still not confirmed the charges against him,” Reporters Without Borders said. “This arrest is further evidence of restrictions placed on free expression in the country, where those critical of the government are very quickly silenced. We call on the authorities to stop these systematic unfair arrests,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said. When Jafari was arrested on 8 April, the authorities also seized his computer equipment, saying they had “found disturbing elements in connection with foreign countries” because of photos he had taken in Bushehr, south-west Iran, during a demonstration in front of the city prefecture by around 20 workers protesting at being sacked. Jafari is a journalist for local weeklies Nassr Bousher and Baharestan as well as editor of the blog Rah Mardom, which regularly criticises the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. ---------- 11.04 - Online journalist held illegally in southern city Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention of online journalist Esmail Jafari and calls on the government to say why he is being held. He was arrested in the southern city of Bushehr on 8 April, one day after he and two other journalists were briefly detained. “The authorities are holding Jafari illegally,” the press freedom organisation said. “Of the three journalists arrested, he is the only one still being held without any official reason being given. We call on the authorities to tell us what he is charged with and where he is being held.” Jafari and the two other journalists were arrested after covering a demonstration outside the Bushehr prefecture by about 20 workers protesting against their dismissal. All three were released a few hours later. Ministry of Intelligence agents searched Jafari's home the next day, seizing his computer's disk drive and personal documents. Claiming they had “found suspicious evidence linked to foreign countries,” they re-arrested him. According to the local news website Sook (http://www.sook.ir), he has been accused of “spying” and “divulging information abroad.” Jafari is a reporter for the local news weeklies Nassr Bousher and Baharestan. He is also the editor of the blog Rah Mardom (http://www.poutin.blogfa.com), which is Farsi for “Voice of the People.” It often criticises President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government. Here are some pictures from Jafari covering Bushehr's demonstration