RSF holds Iran’s authorities responsible for the years of harassment and imprisonment that led to journalist Kianoosh Sanjari’s death
Imprisoned, harassed, and forced into exile, Kianoosh Sanjari spent much of his life paying the price for his dedication to journalism. He was found dead in Tehran on Wednesday, 13 November. According to local sources, the cause of death is believed to be suicide. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) extends its condolences to his family and holds the Iranian authorities accountable for the circumstances that led to this tragedy.
On the afternoon of 13 November, Kianoosh Sanjari was found dead in Tehran, Iran’s capital, according to witnesses. Hours earlier, the journalist and human rights defender had posted a series of tweets on his X account, calling on the government to release three political prisoners held in Iran. He also expressed suicidal thoughts, threatening to end his life if the prisoners were not freed.
A former correspondent with the US international state media network Voice of America (VOA) and a renowned human rights advocate, Kianoosh Sanjari endured years of incarceration and mistreatment due to his reporting. Even when he was not behind bars, he faced relentless harassment from Iranian authorities. After multiple periods of exile, he returned to Iran for the last time in June 2022. According to a spokesperson for VOA, their late colleague died by suicide "in protest against the conditions of political prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Kianoosh Sanjari’s health had deteriorated significantly due to the torture he endured during his imprisonment and the stress of years of threats and intimidation from the authorities, according to RSF’s information.
“Kianoosh Sanjari’s death is a tragedy that could have been avoided. He will be remembered as a dedicated journalist and a courageous human rights defender. Years of abuse in prison, threats, and harassment by the Iranian regime damaged his health. We demand an independent investigation into his death and hold Iranian authorities accountable for the relentless pressure they impose on journalists in Iran, which contributed to Kianoosh Sanjari's death.”
Imprisonment, Torture, Exile, and Pressure
Kianoosh Sanjari was a longstanding target of the Iranian government. He was first arrested at age 17 and imprisoned for two years for participating in the 1999 student protests against the closure of the reformist newspaper Salam. In 2006, he fled Iran for the United States with RSF's support, and became a correspondent for VOA. Between 2006 and 2016, he was persistently harassed by intimidating phone calls from Iranian security forces, according to RSF’s sources.
He returned to Iran to care for his ailing mother in 2016 after the Iranian authorities announced promises not to arrest dissidents. . However, he was arrested shortly after his arrival and sentenced to 11 years in prison for "propaganda against the state". In 2019, he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where he was tortured and mistreated for years. He described this period to VOA as "the most painful" of his life: "one night the nurse injected me with something that for all intents and purposes locked my jaw. I fell unconscious after the injection and, in the morning when I woke up, I saw that my hands and feet were chained to the bed." he recounted to Iran Wire, an independent media in exile, in 2021. According to Iran Wire’s article, he was hospitalised multiple times and subjected to electric shocks on nine occasions,.
Released on bail in 2021, Kianoosh Sanjari briefly left Iran before returning in 2022 to continue his work. He was summoned by an Iranian court for the last time on 21 November 2022 as one of many journalists arrested for covering the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. Once again, he was charged with "propaganda against the state."
Iran is considered one of the most hostile countries in the world for journalists. As of today, 25 journalists remain imprisoned for their work. Iranian journalists — including reporters who are not behind bars or in exile — face constant threats of imprisonment or violence, as highlighted in an RSF report.
