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Press freedom violations recounted in real time (from 1st January 2011)

24.01.2011 - Journalist begins serving one-year jail term for talking to international radio stations

Ehsan Mehrabi, a journalist with the daily Farhikhteghan, was arrested on 22 January to begin serving the one-year jail sentence he received from a revolutionary court in November on a charge of “anti-government publicity” for giving interviews to the BBC’s Farsi-language service and Radio Farda. The sentence was upheld by a Tehran appeal court.

Initially arrested on 18 February 2009, he had been released on bail of 50 million toman (45,000 euros) on 13 March 2010.

19.01.2011 - Two journalists freed on bail

Reporters Without Borders has learned that Keyvan Mehregan, political editor of the daily newspaper Sharght and Fariborz Rais Dana, writer and member of the Association of Iranian Journalists, have been freed on bail. Keyvan Mehregan had to post bail of 10 million tomans (about 7, 500 euros) and Fariborz Rais Dana 30 million tomans (about 22,500 euros).

17.01.2011- Two journalists freed on bail in Iran; others held, sentenced

Reporters Without Borders learned today that two Iranian journalists working for the daily Shargh, Rihaneh Tabatabai and Farzaneh Roustaei, have been freed on bail of 10 million toman (about 7,500 euros) each. Rihaneh Tabatabai was arrested at his home by officials of the information ministry on 12 December last. Farzaneh Roustaei, in charge of the international pages, was detained five days later.

Fariborz Rais Dana, writer and member of the Association of Iranian Journalists, was arrested on 19 December at his home by plainclothes officers of the information ministry. His lawyer Nasser Zarafshan, said he faced two charges. “One relates to criticism of the government policy of liberalization of prices in an interview with BBC television; the other concerns the activities of the Association of Iranian Journalists,” he said.

He told Reporters Without Borders that the cases had been referred to the 2nd chamber of the revolutionary court in Tehran and that he had asked for his client to be freed provisionally. The lawyer said he had visited Fariborz Rais Dana, with his wife at the Evin prison on 6 January.

The 36th Tehran appeal chamber sentenced journalist and human rights activist Shiva Nazar-Ahari to four years in jail and 74 lashes for propaganda against the regime and action against national security. She was arrested by the police on 20 December 2009, the day before the funeral of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. On 28 August 2010, the 26th chamber of the Tehran revolutionary court gave her a six-year prison sentence.

Nasour Naghipour, blogger and human rights activist was given a seven year sentence on 8 January this year. He had been arrested on 2 March 2010. He is editor of the website http://www.nasour.net/ and was detained at his home in the city of Qazvin before being freed on 20 June 2010 on bail of 100 million toman (75,000 euros).

Press freedom violations recounted in real time - July/December 2010

Press freedom violations recounted in real time - January/July 2010

Press freedom violations recounted in real time - JUNE/DECEMBER 2009

Topics: Freedom of speech, Freedom of information, Freedom of expression,