Seven journalists sentenced to a total of 52 years in prison

Reporters Without Borders voiced its dismay at the prison sentences ranging from four to 11 years imposed on seven journalists today by the Tehran revolutionary court at the end of a trial behind closed doors. The journalists, who were also stripped of their civic rights for 10 years, were members of the National Religious Movement, a liberal, nationalist and Islamic grouping that has been banned since March 2001. "We are appalled by these sentences, which are unacceptable," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard said, noting that the journalists were not accorded the right to a fair trial. "The Iranian regime has again shown to what degree any peaceful protest or criticism is unwelcome in that country," he said. The revolutionary court was created after the Islamic revolution and has jurisdiction over matters affecting national security and institutions. "We call on the European Union, which is currently in negotiations with Iran, to make greater efforts to ensure that human rights are respected there," Ménard said. Ten journalists are currently in detained in Iran, which makes it the biggest prison for journalists in the Middle-East. The journalists sentenced today were Ezatollah Sahabi of the newspaper Iran-é-Farda (11 years), Taghi Rahmani of the banned weekly Omid-é-Zangan (11 years), Hoda Saber of the banned magazine Iran-é-Farda (10 years), Reza Alijani of the monthly Iran-é-Farda (6 years), Saide Madani of the closed monthly Iran-é-Farda (6 years), Ali-Reza Redjaï of Asr-é-Azadegan (4 years) and Morteza Khazemian of the closed daily Fath (4 years). Rahmani, Madani, Redjaï and Khazemian were among a number of people arrested on 11 March 2001 at the home of Mohammad Bastehnaghar, a progressive opposition figure, where some 30 people were meeting at the time of the police raid. The next day, the chairman of the Tehran revolutionary court said the detainees had been "seeking to promote a conspiracy against the Islamic regime." They spent periods of varying length in detention before being released pending the trial. Alijani, who is his the editor of Iran-é-Farda and who won the Reporters Without Borders - France Foundation prize in 2001, was arrested by security agents on 24 February 2001 and was released on bail on 16 December 2001. Saber, who is one of the editors of his magazine, was arrested on 28 January 2001 and was released on bail on 12 March 2002. Sahabi, who is the son of one of the National Religious Movement's founders as well as being his newspaper's editor, was arrested on 26 June 2000 on the orders to the Tehran revolutionary court after attending a conference in Berlin on reforms in Iran. The conference was considered anti-Islamic by the Iranian authorities. He was released on bail on 21 August 2000, but was re-arrested on 17 December 2000 on charges of "anti-regime propaganda." On 13 January 2001, he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. In December 2001, his sentenced was reduced to six months and he was freed on 2 March 2002.