Concealment, confusion and denial of justice

Reporters Without Borders has called for the release of three journalists given heavy prison sentences at an appeal trial which took place without their knowledge. All three have been unfairly imprisoned since 14 June 2003. They are: Reza Alijani, editor of the monthly Iran-e-Farda, and laureate of the Reporters Without Borders-Fondation de France 2001 press freedom award, Hoda Saber, a manger on Iran-e-Farda managers and journalist Taghi Rahmani, of the weekly Omid-e-Zangan. On 1st May 2004, Reza Alijani found out that their appeal trial, on a case going back to 2001, had been held in the absence of the accused and of their lawyers. Alijani was sentenced to four years in prison, Hoda Saber to five-and-a-half years and Taghi Rahmani to seven years. "Concealment and denial of justice continue to characterise detentions and trials as exemplified by these three cases," said Reporters Without Borders. These three journalists, unfairly imprisoned for nearly a year, have been condemned on appeal without being able to attend their own trials," it said. "This at a time when the head of the Iranian judiciary Mahmud Hashemi Shahrudi, announces steps to get Iranian law respected, in particular rights of accused to have a lawyer and a fair trial and as parliament on 6 May adopted a law that bans torture and guarantees the rights of citizens, "Everything suggests that judicial authorities are looking for a pretext to justify this arbitrary imprisonment, sowing the utmost confusion over procedures and grounds for detention. We demand the release of these journalists," said the international press freedom organisation. Background: - At the end of a closed-doors trial on 10 May 2003, Taghi Rahmani was sentenced to 11 years in prison and ten years of loss of civil rights, Reza Alijani to six years in prison and ten years loss of civil rights and Hoda Saber to ten years in prison and ten years of loss of civil rights. Since they had all posted substantial bail money, they remained at liberty awaiting their appeals as allowed by the law. - On 14 June 2003, the three men were arrested without grounds. Until 30 October they were kept in solitary confinement. Their lawyers had no access to their files and their families could not make regular visits. - On 1st May 2004 Reza Alijani found out that their appeal had been heard. The next day the lawyers for the three journalists told a press conference, "We have received no information about these sentences (…) We still have no access to our clients' files." With 12 journalists behind bars, Iran is the Middle East's biggest prison for journalists