Free Saba Azarpeik

IRANJOURNALISMFREEDOM OF THE PRESS

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has arrested 11 journalists accused of cooperation with foreign-based, Persian-language media organizations, several chief editors of Iranian outlets said Monday.

The development is a major escalation in a press crackdown that reflects Iran’s zero tolerance for those who work with dissident media or outlets deemed as unfriendly or hostile.

In recent years, Iran has denounced Voice of America and the BBC’s Persian service, describing them as arms of US and British intelligence agencies, and has warned of severe repercussions for Iranian journalists and activists caught having contacts with these outlets.

Also, Tehran has repeatedly accused the United States and Britain of seeking to provoke unrest in a bid to oust the country’s clerical rulers, and has frequently accused opposition figures and supporters of being in league with the nation’s enemies.

Many Iranians regularly tune in to the BBC and VOA’s Persian-language radio and TV channels, despite a ban on satellite dishes and government attempts to jam the airwaves.

The chief editors of the arrested journalists told The Associated Press that the 11 were taken into custody late on Sunday because of their “foreign contacts.” The editors, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisals, refused to say if the detained were accused of providing material specifically to BBC or VOA.

The arrests followed last week’s warning by State Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei who said journalists who are in contact with “hostile foreign media” would be punished. Ejehi described such reporters as “serving the enemy’s purpose.”

The detained journalists — seven men and four women — were identified by their editors. They are from six different news organizations, including four daily papers, a weekly and the semi-official ILNA news agency.

Some of them have in the past spent months behind bars over critical writings that were carried by foreign-based Iranian dissident media or writings that supported feminist activities.

One of the editors said three of the arrested were from the reformist daily Etemad. Three others were from the reformist Shargh daily, whose editor said they were arrested at the paper’s building.

Another journalist, Saba Azarpeik from the Tejarat-e-Farda weekly, was also missing and feared arrested, according to a colleague, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Meanwhile, the semiofficial ISNA news agency said Monday that the conservative Tabnak news website, close to the former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei, has been blocked. No reason was given.

Since 2000, Iran’s judiciary has shut down more than 120 pro-reform newspapers and jailed dozens of editors and writers on vague charges of insulting authorities.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

Iran: arrestati giornalisti riformisti a 5 mesi dalle elezioni

In Iran sono stati arrestati 11 giornalisti riformisti a meno di cinque mesi dalle elezioni presidenziali del 14 giugno. La stampa locale ha riferito che i reporter, tutti appartenenti a testate critiche verso il regime degli Ayatollah, sono accusati di aver collaborato con media stranieri in Farsi. L’Iran sta entrando in campagna elettorale e dopo il precedente delle contestate presidenziali del 2009, a cui fecero seguito mesi di proteste di piazza dell’opposizione riformista. I giornalisti sono stati prelevati dai luoghi di lavoro con l’accusa di ‘collaborazione con media anti-rivoluzionari in lingua persiana’.

Gli arrestati lavorano per testate riformiste come i quotidiani ‘Shargh‘, ‘Arman‘, ‘Bahar’ e ‘Etemad’, per il settimanale ‘Aseman’ e l’agenzia di stampa ‘Ilna’, che tratta questioni sociali.

Teheran considera ostili i servizi internazionali in Farsi di testate straniere come Bbc persiano, Voice of America e Radio Farda, una radio con base a Praga finanziata dagli Usa.

Fra i giornalisti arrestati ieri – riporta Le Monde – figura l’umorista Pouria Alami e la notista politica Saba Azarpeyk. Non è chiaro in quale centro di detenzione siano stati portati. Si tratta di sette uomini e quattro donne, i loro nomi sono stati diffusi dai loro direttori.

Alcuni degli arrestati avevano già trascorsi dietro le sbarre per aver scritto articoli critici del regime o di difesa dei diritti delle donne poi citati da media iraniani dissidenti operanti all’estero. Tre di loro provengono dal giornale riformista Etemad, altri tre dallo Shargh: il direttore ha raccontato che sono stati prelevati nella redazione. La Azarpeik, del settimanale Tejarat-e-Farda, è invece scomparsa e i colleghi ne temono l’arresto. E’ stato poi bloccato, senza comunicarne i motivi, il sito conservatore Tabnak, vicino all’ex comandante delle Guardie rivoluzionarie Mohsen Rezaei. Sabato erano stati arrestati Milad Fadaie, caporedattore del servizio politico dell’agenzia ufficiale Ilna, e Soleyman

Mohammadi, caporedattore della cronaca del quotidiano Bahar: entrambi sono stati portati nella prigione di Evin.