Journalist Emadoldin Baghi under threat of new prison sentence

Reporters Without Borders has expressed its serious concern in response to a court summons against independent journalist Emadoldin Baghi, known for his staunch defence of free expression. Baghi has been ordered to appear on 3 March before the 3rd division of Teheran's revolutionary tribunal. He is accused of writing an article in the (suspended) reformist daily Yas-e no, in which he called the 20 February legislative elections illegal. The journalist was given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for five years, by the sixth branch of the same revolutionary tribunal on 4 December 2003 on an unspecified charge. He is therefore at risk of going to prison as a result of the new hearing. The journalist has been targeted by the regime's hard-liners for several years now. He was jailed for three years on 23 October 2000, for "damaging national security and spreading "false news". Since his release, on 6 February 2003, Baghi has actively campaigned for human rights, chiefly through by-lined articles in the reformist press exposing violations of free expression and founding an organisation for the defence of prisoners of opinion. Reporters Without Borders also condemns: - The detention, from 21-23 February, of Farshad Gorganpour, financial editor of the daily Gilan-e emrouz, accused of signing a letter protesting at the holding of legislative elections. - The suspension, from 19-21 February, of the daily Nassim-e Sabbah, for carrying an article on the temporary closure of two major reformist dailies Sharq and Yas-e no. - The 6 April 2004 summons against journalist Mohammad Javad Roh, working for the reformist daily Sharq, accused by the Teheran tribunal in connection with his articles on the political culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran and in particular its censorship. - Harassment of cinema critic Payam Fazlinejad, journalist on the weekly Sinema, by Adareh Amaken (a police department that usually deals with "moral" offences) and by the Teheran prosecutor, Said Mortazavi. Failure to respect legal procedure in the trial of Iradj Jamshidi, editor in chief of the (suspended) financial daily Asia, that opened on 24 February in the 26th division of the Teheran revolutionary tribunal. Even though his lawyer is allowed to attend the trial, he has had no access to the file of his client, who was arrested on 6 July 2003.