Confessions, arrests and a campaign against the media

Reporters Without Borders today condemned a parade of Iranian demonstrators being shown on a loop on state-run TV confessing to having protested at the behest of foreign media. All demonstrators make their confessions using the same words that have opened the nightly news bulletin for the past week: “Bismillah, al-rahman al-rahim. I admit that I demonstrated under the influence of the BBC, the radio Voice of America and other foreign media”. The confessions are aired at every hour of the day and night to show Iranians the extent to which those disputing the presidential election were persuaded by western agents to take part in an “orchestrated plot” against the Islamic Republic of Iran, confirming the words of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “These methods are aimed at denigrating foreign media, who are already facing huge obstacles to their work and whose journalists and contributors are exposed as a result to the threat of violence from supporters of the regime,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said. Iranian journalists are also still being demonised and 180 of them on 23 June wrote an open letter addressed to Iran’s leaders and people, protesting at the “deplorable and critical” state of Iran’s media and calling on the authorities to respect the constitution, and to lift bans slapped on journalist so they can do their job of informing the public. “This harassment and intimidation prevents us from doing our duty”, the 180 signatories said. Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrests on 22 June of all 25 staff on the newspaper Kalemeh Sabz, including around 20 journalists. The paper, owned by opposition presidential candidate, Mir Hossein Moussavi, stopped publishing on 13 June although it was not officially banned. It had intended to resume appearing and to bring out a new issue on 23 June but on the evening of 22 June, plain clothes agents from Tehran’s prosecutor’s office surrounded the building and arrested everyone inside. The editor, Alireza Behshtipour Shirazi, might also have arrested the same evening reportedly in company with his son. Minutes before his arrest Shirazi had confirmed the earlier arrest of his entire staff, in an interview with German radio Deutsche Welle. “Arresting an entire editorial staff is totally unprecedented”, Reporters Without Borders protested. Questioned about the arrest of foreign journalists during demonstrations, the intelligence minister, Mohseni Ejehi, said that “one or two people who came to gather secret information were arrested, but not as journalists. One of them had his equipment confiscated and he is now the subject of an investigation.” President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering, said he planned to go to Iran, in response to an invitation from Nobel Peace Prize laureat, Shirin Ebadi. She told Reporters Without Borders, “At all the meetings I have had with officials from from the European Union, I demanded that they condemn the massive human rights violations in Iran. I also urged the UN Secretary General to send an investigative mission to the country. I insist on the fact that this is not a political conflict, but a fresh instance of mass human rights violations in Iran.” Reporters Without Borders’ secretary general, Jean-François Julliard yesterday called for the release of arrested Iranian and foreign journalists, at a press conference he gave in Paris with Iranian-American journalist, Roxana Saberi, who was held in an Iranian jail for several months earlier this year. Agence France-Presse has since 23 June posted photos taken for the press freedom organisation by Iranian photographers on its pictures forum. Two journalists, who were arrested on 16 June in the city of Bushehr in the south-west of Iran, Hamideh Mahhozi and Hossin Shkohi were released two days later, the organisation learned. The cyber-dissident, Kaveh Mozfari, arrested on the fringe of demonstrations on 1st May, was released on 24 June after putting up bail of 50 million tomans (45,000 euros). Journalists arrested since June 12, still behind bars: 14 June 2009: - Cyber-dissident Somaieh Tohidlou (http://smto.ir) - Ahmad Zeydabadi, - Kivan Samimi Behbani, - Abdolreza Tajik, - Mahssa Amrabadi, - Behzad Basho, cartoonist - Khalil Mir Asharafi, Iranian television producer - Karim Arghandeh, journalist for reformist newspapers Salam, Vaghieh etafaghieh, and blogger (http://www.futurama.ir/ ) was arrested at his home in Tehran. - Shiva Nazar Ahari, cyber-dissident and human rights activists (see his blog: http://azadiezan.blogspot.com ), was arrested at his home in the capital. 15 June 2009: - Mohamad Atryanfar, editor of several publications like Hamshary, Shargh, Shahrv and Emrouz, was reportedly transferred to the security section of Evin jail. - Saïd Hajarian, former newspaper editor Sobh-e-Emrouz, was arrested by the security forces overnight on 15-16 June at his Tehran home despite the fact that he is handicapped. - Mojtaba Pormohssen, journalist on several reformist papers, contributor to radio Zamaneh and editor of the newspaper Gilan Emroz, was arrested in Rashat in the north of the country. 16 June: - Mohammad Ali Abtahi, nicknamed “Mullah blogger“, was arrested at his home in Tehran. His blog: http://www.webneveshteha.com/. - Mrs Hamideh Mahhozi, arrested in Bushehr, south of Iran - Amanolah Shojai, journalist and blogger arrested in Bushehr - Hossin Shkohi, journalist on the weekly Paygam Jonob, arrested in Bushehr - Mashalah Hidarzadeh, arrested in Bushehr - Fariborez Srosh, freelance journalist reportedly arrested the same day. Imprisoned in the past because of his work with Radio farda (Radio Free Europe). 17 June: - Saide Lylaz, journalist on newspaper Sarmayeh, arrested at his home in the capital. The financial specialist has been an outspoken critic of the policies of President Ahmadinejad. - Rohollah Shassavar, journalist in Mashad, detained the same date. 18 June: Mohammad Ghochani, editor of the daily Etemad Meli, owner of Mehdi Karoubi, one of the candidates opposing Mahmoud Ahamadinejad in the presidential elections, arrested in Tehran at 2am. 20 June: - Ali Mazroui, president of the Iranian Association of journalists, arrested in the morning. - Bahaman Ahamadi Amoee and his wife Jila Baniyaghoob arrested at their home at midnight, following a search by plain clothes agents of the intelligence ministry. Winner in 2009 of the Courage in Journalism prize, awarded by the International Women's Media Foundation, Jila Baniyaghoob is head of a feminist news website Canon Zeman Irani (http://irwomen.net ). Her husband Bahaman Ahamadi Amoee, works for several pro-reformist publications. . 21 June: - Correspondent for Newsweek, Maziar Bahari, arrested at 7am by security forces at his home. 22 June: - Mostafa Ghavnlo Ghajar, contributor to several newspapers, a specialist in foreign media on Radio Goftogo, was arrested at his home. His blog: http://www.ghajar.ir/. - Iason Athanasiadis, Greek-British journalist on the Washington Times - 25 staff and journalists on Kalemeh Sabz arrested, including the editor, Alireza Behshtipour Shirazi.