Furloughs lower Iran prison count, but dozens still jailed. Committee to P... http://cpj.org'2010/04/furloughs•lower•iran•prison•count•but•dozens-still.php
a:
cPJ
Committee to Protect Journalists
Defending Journal is: s Worldwide
Furloughs lower Iran prison count, but dozens still jailed
New York, April 6, 2010—At least 35 journalists were imprisoned in Iran as of April 1 as authorities continued their
nearly year-long crackdown on the news media, according to CPJ's latest monthly census. Another 18 journalists were
free on short-term furloughs granted for the Iranian New Year and were expected to report back to prison.
• Top writers, iournalists
petition for detainees' release
( http://cpi.orp/20 10/04 1350 0-petition-
iran-re Iease-jailed-journalists-writers.php )
Many of the incarcerated journalists are under immense physical and psychological
pressure to “confess” to crimes they have not committed, including crimes that could
carry the death sentence, CPJ research shows. Many have also been denied family
Asits and access to legal counsel. Others have been held without charge for periods
far exceeding legal limits.
“Not only is the scope of journalist detentions in Iran regrettable, so too is the appalling treatment these journalists have
been subjected to,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “People all over the world hold the Iranian government
responsible for any harm that might befall these journalists while in custody for simply doing their jobs. We will continue
to monitor the situation closely and hope that those furloughed will not be returned to jail.”
In light of the Iranian government's crackdown, CPJ is conducting monthly surveys of journalists imprisoned in Iran. (CPJ
normally conducts a worldwide survey of jailed journalists each December.) CPJ's March census recorded 52 journalists
in Iranian prisons; in February, the census found 47 behind bars. The surveys, conducted on the first of each month, are
snapshots of those incarcerated on that date.
Iran remains the world's worst jailer of journalists, CPJ research shows. China was holding 24 journalists behind bars
when CPJ conducted its worldwide census on December 1, 2009. CPJ research shows the number in China has
remained stable since that time.
Reformist newspaper Etemad e Melli's newsroom, seen here, was
shuttered in August. Many of its reporters are now in prison. (AP)
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Below are capsule reports on each journalist imprisoned in Iran:
IN CUSTODY
Adnan Hassanpour, Aso
Imprisoned: January 25, 2007
Security agents seized Hassanpour, former editor for the now-defunct Kurdish-Persian weekly Aso, in his hometown of
Marivan, Kurdistan province, according to news reports.
A Revolutionary Court convicted Hassanpour in July 2007 of endangering national security
and engaging in propaganda against the state, one of his attorneys, Sirvan Hosmandi, told
CPJ. The journalist was sentenced to death. A court of appeals overturned the death
sentence in September 2008 and ordered a new trial on charges of “working for outlawed
parties” and espionage, according to the BBC.
In November 2009, a trial court convicted Hassanpour on the new charges and re-imposed
the death sentence, the BBC said. According to reports (http://www.rhairan.org/archives
/ 4695) on the Human Rights Activists News Agency Web site, Adnan Hassanpour's death
sentence was o'verturned in February and he was given a new sentence of 31 years in
prison.
Mohammad Seddigh Kaboudvand, Payam-e Mardom
Imprisoned: July 1, 2007
Plainclothes security officials arrested journalist and human rights activist Kaboudvand at his
Tehran office, according to Amnesty International and CPJ sources. He is being held at Evin
Prison in Tehran.
Authorities accused Kaboudvand, head of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan and
managing editor of the weekly Payam-e Mardom, of acting against national security and
engaging in propaganda against the state, according to his organization's Web site. A
Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced him to 11 years in prison.
Farda
Mojtaba Lotfi, freelance
Imprisoned: October 8, 2008
A clergyman and blogger, Lotfi was arrested by security forces on a warrant issued by the
religious Clergy Court in Qom. Authorities accused him of publishing the views of Ayatollah
Hossein-Ali Montazeri, who had criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's positions.
Authorities did not specify particular articles or publications in which the views were supposedly
cited. Lotfi was convicted of several charges, including spreading antistate information, and
sentenced to four years in prison, according to news reports.
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RSF Hossein Derakhshan, freelance
Imprisoned: November 2008
On December 30, 2008, a spokesman for the Iranian Judiciary confirmed in a press conference in Tehran that
Derakhshan, a well-known Iranian-Canadian blogger, had been detained since November 2008 in connection with
comments he allegedly made about a key cleric, according to local and international news reports.
The exact date of Derakhshan's arrest was unknown, but news of his detention first appeared on November 17, 2008,
on a Web site close to the Iranian intelligence apparatus. At the time, Jahan News reported that he had confessed to
“spying for Israel” during the preliminary interrogation.
Derakhshan started blogging after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United
States. A former writer for reformist newspapers, he also contributed opinion pieces to The
Guardian of London and The New York Times. The journalist, who lived in Canada during most
of the last decade, returned to Tehran a few weeks prior to his detention, The Washington Post
reported. In November 2009, the BBC Persian service reported that Derakhshan's family had
sought information about his whereabouts and the charges he faced and expressed concern
about having very limited contact with him.
According to an article (http: / /www.khodnevis.org/) in Khodnevis, a cooperative Web site of
Creative Commons . . . . .
Iranian journalists, Derakhshan has spent more than nine months of his detention in solitary
confinement at Evin Prison. He has not had any visits with his family, and has only recently been
allowed to buy items at the prison store. According to this article, Derakhshan's charges range from espionage for Israel
to illegitimate sexual relationships and insulting sacred concepts, charges that carry a death sentence.
On March 18, 2010, in a widely pulished open letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, Derakhshan's
mother complained (http:I lwww.kaleme.com/1388/12/27/klm-14610) about the judiciary's silence on her son's case. In an
interview with the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, Derakhshan's brother, Hamed Derakhshan, also said
( http:llwww.radiofarda.com/content/f4 Hossein Derakhshan detention no trail/1987550.htmt) that Hossein has not been
informed of his charges during his 500 days in custody. He said Derakhshan apparently made “confessions” under
pressure that he later retracted.
Nader Karimi Jooni, Jahan-e-Sanat, Sharq, Gozaresh, Fekr, and Siasat-e-Rooz
Imprisoned: December 2008
Jooni, arrested in late 2008, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 11, 2010, at Branch 28 of the
Revolutionary Court. He was convicted on charges of mutiny, espionage, and acting against national security, according
( http:llwww.kaleme.orq/1388/1O/22/klm-8161 ) to the reformist Web site Kalame. He denied the charges and said the
case was politicized. Jooni, who was an editor and writer for now-defunct publications such as Gozaresh, Fekr, Jahan-e
Sanat and SiasatRoozi, was placed in Evin Prison's Ward 209, where political prisoners are held. He is an Iran-Iraq
War veteran who requires ongoing medical care, according to reformist news Web site Kalame.
1 1388 1 1022 1k 1m-8 16 1 )
Mohammad Pour Abdollah, freelance
Imprisoned: February 13, 2009
On December 9, 2009, branch 15 of Iran's Revolutionary Courts sentenced Pour Abdollah,
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RAHANA a Tehran university student and a blogger, to six years in prison for “illegal congregation,
actions against national security, and propagating against the Islamic Republic of Iran,”
according to (http://www.bbc.co.uklpersianhiranl2009ll2/091 210 op students pouabdullah sentenced azar.shtml) the
BBC Persian Web site. According to different news Web sites, he has been tortured and abused physically and
psychologically in prison.
Since his detention, Pour Abdollah's blog has been disabled. Only his last post can be accessed on another writer's blog.
In that post, Pour Abdollah writes (http:l/azadi-mohamad.b loqspot.coml2009/O3lblog-post.htm l) critically about the
political, social, and economic conditions in Iran and elsewhere.
Morteza Moradpour, Yazligh
Imprisoned: May 22, 2009
Moradpour, who wrote for Yazligh, a children's magazine, is serving a three-year prison term on charges of
“propagation against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” “mutiny,” and “illegal congregation,” according to the Committee of
Human Rights Reporters. An appeals court in Azerbaijan province upheld the sentence, according to the committee's
February 9 report.
Morad pour was arrested in 2009 along with several other family members during a protest
pertaining to Azeri language rights in Tabriz, according to a news article (http://schrr.net
/ spip.php?article8344) on the Committee of Human Rights Reporters' Web site. Two issues of
Yazligh were used as evidence in the trial against him, the news Web site Bizim Tabriz reported
( hftp:llbtna.info/index.php/photo/4819.html) .
Moradpour's attorney said the charges were politically motivated and fabricated, the news Web
site Tabriz Sesi reported. The Committee of Human Rights Reporters said pressure on members
of Azeri civil society has been increasing as the government attempts to marginalize this ethnic
minority.
Ahmad Zaid-Abadi, freelance
Imprisoned: June 2009
Zaid-Abadi, who wrote a weekly column for Rooz Online, a Farsi- and English-language reformist news Web site, was
arrested in Tehran, according to news reports. Zaid-Abadi is also the director of the Organization of University Alumni of
the Islamic Republic of Iran and a supporter of defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi. Mahdieh Mohammadi,
Zaid-Abadi's wife, was allowed to see the journalist after he had spent 53 days in custody, according to the German
public broadcaster Deutsche Welle. He told her that he was being held in inhumane conditions, according to the
Parleman News Web site.
On November 23, 2009, Zaid-Abadi was sentenced to six years in prison, five years' exile to
Gonabad in Khorasan Province, and a “lifetime deprivation of any political activity” including
“interviews, speech, and analysis of events, whether in written or oral form,” according to
( http:llwww.dw-world.de/dwlarticlelo,,4922261 , 00.htm) Deutsche Welle's Persian Web site. An
appeals court upheld the sentence on January 2, 2010, according to Advar News
( http:I/advarnews.bizlorganization/10186.asp4 .
Zaid-Abadi and journalist Massoud Bastani were transferred to Rajaee Shahr Prison in
ADAPP
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Creative Commons February. His lawyer objected to the transfer, according to (http:Ilwww.etemaad.irlReleased
188-11-18 1204.htm#174488) the reformist daily Etemad. Rajaee Shahr Prison's detainees are
mostly hardened criminals.
Omid Salimi, Nesf e Jehan
Imprisoned: June 14, 2009
Salimi, a photographer who worked for Nesf e Jehan newspaper in Esfahan, was arrested after being summoned by the
Revolutionary Guards to pick up belongings confiscated during an earlier arrest, according to Human Rights and
Democracy ActMsts in Iran, a local human rights watchdog. Salimi had been detained in December 2008 and had spent
three months in prison on unspecified charges.
After his most recent arrest, Salimi was transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran, according to the Iranian Human Rights
ActMsts New Agency. No formal charges have been disclosed.
Kayvan Samimi, Nameh
Imprisoned: June 14, 2009
Samimi, manager of the now-defunct monthly Nameb, is being held in Evin Prison after his
arrest in Tehran, according to news reports. Samimi called his family in October to tell them
that he was pressured to make a false confession, his lawyer told Rooz Online.
According to (file : IllC:IDocuments%2 oand%2 oSettinqs llwolfelLocal%2 oSettingsllwolfe
lLocaI%2 oSettinqsllwolfelLocal%2 oSettinqsllwolfelLocal%2 oSettinqs
ITem porarv%2 olnternet%2OFiIesIOLKI OAI:Iwww.free-journalists.coml2Ol OIO2lbIog-
post 3157.html) the Free Iranian Journalists Web site, on February 22, Samimi was
transferred from Evin's general ward to solitary confinement after he objected to unsuitable
prison conditions, and a visit with his family was cancelled.
Hamzeh Karami, Jomhooriyat
Imprisoned: June 19, 2009
Karami, editor of the now-defunct reformist news Web site Jomhooriyat was arrested on June 19, 2009, according to
( http:llwww.iranqreenvoice.comlcontentll 399) the reformist Web site Nedaye Sabz-e Azadi. Jomhooriyat was banned
by Iranian authorities on June 12, 2009, according to (http:llwww.asriran.com/fa/pages/?cid=75104) the Asr-e Iran news
Web site. Karami is a close ally of reformist politician Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani. He has been forced to make
confessions against himself and others, according to the Reporters and Human Rights Activists of Iran
( http:llrhairan.orqlprisonersl?p=1 029) Web site.
On February 27, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison and fined 600 million toomans (US$600,000). Some of his
charges were “acting against national security through congregation and mutiny intended to disrupt public order,”
“propagating against the regime,” “propagating falsehoods,” and “embezzlement” according to
( http:I lwww.farsnews.com lnewstext.php?nn=8806030615) the semi-official Fars News Agency.
RAHANA
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Issa Sahar-Khiz, freelance
Imprisoned: July 3, 2009
Sahar-Khiz, a columnist for the reformist news Web sites Rooz Online and Norooz and a founding member of the
Association of Iranian Journalists, was arrested while traveling in northern Iran, the association said in a statement.
Sahar-Khiz's lawyer said his client faces charges of “participation in riots,” “encouraging others to participate in riots,”
and “insulting the supreme leader,” according to Rooz Online.
Sahar-Khiz has had a long career in journalism. He worked for 15 years for IRNA,
Iran's official news agency, and ran its New York office for pad of that time. He
returned to Iran in 1997 to work in Mohammad Khatami's Ministry of Islamic
Guidance, in charge of domestic publications. Sahar-Khiz and a superior, Ahmad
Bouraghani, came to be known as the architects of a period of relative freedom for
the press in Iran. After Sahar-Khiz was forced to leave the ministry and was
banned from government service in a trial, he founded a reformist
newspaper, Akhbar-e Eghtesad, and monthly magazine, Aftab, both of which were
eventually banned. Sahar-Khiz wrote articles directly critical of Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.
Issa Sahar-Khiz has been subjected to constant pressure at Evin Prison,
according to (http:l/www.roozonline.com/persian/newslnewsitem/articlell 07/-d8238360c4.html) Rooz Online.
Punishments included being kept in the prison yard overnight in freezing temperatures without shoes or socks, Rooz
Online reported.
Massoud Bastani, Farhikhtegan and Jomhoriyat
Imprisoned: July 5, 2009
Bastani, a journalist for the reformist newspaper Farihikhtegan and Jomhoriyat, a news Web site
affiliated with the defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, was arrested when he went to
a Tehran court seeking information about his wife, journalist Mehsa Amrabadi, according to local news
reports. Amrabadi, arrested along with two other journalists on June 15, was released on August 25.
Bastani was among more than 100 opposition figures and journalists who faced a mass, televised
judicial proceeding in August on vague antistate accusations, according to news reports. In September,
his lawyer, Mohammad Sharrif, told the Amir Kabir Newsletter Web site that Bastani had spent weeks
in solitary confinement.
On October 20, the news site Norooz reported that a court had sentenced Bastani to six years in prison for “propagating
against the regime and congregating and mutinying to create anarchy.”
Bastani had been editor-in-chief of the now-banned Neda-ye Eslahat (Voice of Reform) weekly. Bastani was transferred
to the Rajaee Shahr Prison for hardened criminals, along with Ahmad Zaid-Abadi, according to (http:llwww.etemaad.ir
IReIeasedI88-1 I - 18 1204.htm#174488) the reformist daily Etemad.
Saeed Matin-Pour, Yar Pay and Mot if Bidari
Imprisoned: July 12, 2009
Creative Commons
RSF
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A Revolutionary Court in Tehran convicted Matin-Pour of having “relations with foreigners and propagating against the
regime,” according to local news reports. He was sentenced to an eight-year prison term.
Matin- Pour was first arrested in May 2007 and released on bail. He was rearrested in 2009
amid the government's crackdown on the press. The journalist worked for Yar
Pag and Mouj Bidari newspapers in western Azerbaijan province, in addition to writing his
own blog, according to local news reports. Matin-Pour suffers from heart and respiratory
problems, and his family has not been able to secure a medical release for examination
outside prison, according to the news Web site Advarnews. On February 4, Matin-Pour
suffered severe chest pains and prison authorities delayed giving him medical attention,
according to (http:llwww.savalansesi.com/2010/O2Iblog-post 5278.html) Savalan Sessi, an
Azeri human rights Web site.
Mohammad Hossein Sohrabi Rad, Saham News
Sohrabi Rad was arrested by Ministry of Information agents on charges of working with Saham News in preparing a
documentary on prisoner abuse at the Kahrizak Detention Center, according (file:II///%2Ohttp:/www.hra-news.org
/ news/12071.aspx) to the reformist Web site Asr-e Nou. (The detention center was closed in July 2009 after evidence
emerged of pervasive abuse of detainees.)
Asr-e Nou reported that Sohrabi Rad had been subjected to physical and psychological pressure at Evin Prison.
Authorities transferred Sohrabi Rad from Ward 209, where political prisoners are held, to solitary confinement in Ward
240, according to news reports. A prison doctor said the journalist was suffering greatly in prison, according
( http:llhrdai.blogspot.com/2010/O1/blog-post 3603.html) to the Web site of Human Rights and Democracy Activists of
Iran. He was married shortly before his arrest, according to the site.
Saham News, a Web site affiliated with presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi, reported
that its editor-in-chief, Davari, had been detained. Seventeen days after his arrest, the
journalist was allowed to contact his family, according to the Tahavolkhani news Web site.
His mother said he was being held at Tehran's Evin Prison.
Davari was brought to trial on November 22 on charges of propagating against the regime,
congregation and mutiny for disrupting national security, and creating chaos in public order.
RAI-1.ANA In the weeks after the election, Davari had videotaped the testimony of inmates at Kahrizak
Detention Center who alleged they had been raped and abused while in custody, according
to the Free Iranian Journalists blog. (The detention center was closed in July 2009 after evidence emerged of pervasive
abuse of detainees.)
After Davari complained about poor prison conditions during a visit by a government official, he was sent to solitary
confinement, according (http:llwww.rahesabz.netlstory/12588/) to the Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz reformist news Web site.
He went on a one-week hunger strike in protest. He remains in solitary confinement and has has not been allowed to
contact his family.
r
Permission by his family
ADAPP
Imprisoned: September 2009
Mohammad Davari, Saham News
Imprisoned: September 5, 2009
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Seyed Massoud Lavasani, Shargh, Etemad, Etemad-e-MeIIi
Imprisoned: September 26, 2009
Massoud Lavasani has worked for many Iranian newspapers, including Shargh, Etemad, Etemad-e-MeIll, Kargozaran,
as well as the Mehr News Agency. He was arrested at home in September 2009.
On December 21, 2009, he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. He appealed the sentence, but his
appeals hearing has not convened yet. The judge has rebuffed requests for bail, according (http://www.rahesabz.net
/ story/1 1110/) to the Jonbesh-e Rah-e- Sabz Web site.
The site reported that Lavasani went on a hunger strike on March 11 to protest his treatment by prison authorities. His
visitation and telephone rights have been suspended. Jonbesh-e Rah-e- .Sabz reported that his health is poor, adding
that there were reports earlier of a reduction of Lavasani's visitation privileges from once every two weeks to once every
six weeks with the stipulation that he is not allowed to see his child during his visits.
Javad Mahzadeh, freelance
Imprisoned: October 22, 2009
Mahzadeh, a journalist and novelist, was arrested on his way to work on the orders of the
Revolutionary Court's prosecutor's office, according to local news reports.
Mahzadeh, a political analyst and a literary critic who wrote for the Web sites lranian
Diplomacy and Baran, is well-known in Iran for the novel Take Away Your Laughter.
Authorities confiscated a computer from his home, according to news reports. No formal
charges have been disclosed. Mahzadeh was sentenced to four years in prison on
February 3, according to (http://www.hra-news.info/news/1 2517.aspx) the Human Rights
Activists News Agency,
Sassan Aghaee, freelance
Imprisoned: November 22, 2009
Security forces raided the home of Aghaee, a seasoned journalist who contributed to a number of newspapers,
including Farhikhtegan, Etemacl, Tose'eh, Mardom Salari, and Etemad e Me/li. He was also author of the blog Free
Tribune.
Aghaee is being held at Evin Prison, according to news reports. In a letter the journalist asked to
be opened in case of his arrest, Aghaee said any confessions he might make in custody should
be disregarded as coerced, according to the reformist Web site Jaras.
Aghaee was charged with “actions against national security,” “propagating against the regime,”
“disruption of public order,” and “propagating falsehoods,” his attorney told Norooz News
( http:llnorooznews.info/news/ 168 13.php) . The attorney said requests for bail have been ignored
and that Aghaee has been held under “temporary detention orders,” the terms of which have
been violated.
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Kouhyar Goudarzi, Committee of Human Rights Reporters
Imprisoned: December 20, 2009
Goudarzi, a veteran journalist for the human rights committee, has been charged with moharebeb, or heresy, a capital
crime, according to local news reports and the BBC Persian service. Held at Evin Prison, he has also been charged with
propagating against the regime and participating in illegal congregations.
Visitors to the prison said Goudarzi's head was bandaged, although it was not clear how he
sustained his injuries, according to the reformist online publication Rooz Online. The human rights
committee said judicial authorities have sought to link the organization to external political parties.
Kouhyar Goudarzi's mother told (http://www.hammihannews.com/news/9383) Hammihan News
on February 25 that she was allowed to visit for only seven minutes after waiting for hours.
Goudarzi told his mother that he is resisting pressure to confess to charges of heresy.
Goudarzi's mother was informed on March 19 that his temporary detention orders have been
extended for two more months, according to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
According to the same report (http://schrr.net/spip.php?article8964) , Goudarzi is under pressure CHRR
to reveal passwords to his personal e-mail and to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters'
Web site.
Shiva Nazar Ahari, Committee of Human Rights Reporters
Imprisoned: December 20, 2009
Nazar Ahari was detained with Saeed Haeri while on a bus from Tehran to Qom to attend the
funeral of influential cleric Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri. She had been jailed for four months
in the immediate aftermath of the disputed June presidential election and was free on bail when
she was rearrested in December.
The reformist Web site Kalame said Nazar Ahari was in solitary confinement at Evin Prison's
Ward 209, where political prisoners are held. In a meeting with the journalist's family members,
a prosecutor claimed that the human rights committee was affiliated with an armed opposition
group, Kalame reported. She has been charged with illegal congregation, according to the
committee's Web site.
Mohammad Nourizad, freelance
Imprisoned: December 20, 2009
The BBC Persian service reported (http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2009/1 2/091220 na nourizad detained.shtml) that
Nourizad, a blogger and documentary filmmaker, was arrested after he wrote an open letter to Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei urging him to apologize for the government's post-election conduct, and an article
( http:llmohammadnurizad.blogfa.com/) criticizing the head of Iran's judiciary.
The government-run Mehr News said Nourizad is charged with “insulting authorities” and
“propagating against the regime.” On January 5, security officers raided Nourizad's home,
seizing his computer and documents, according (http://www.rahesabz.net/storyl7247/ ) to the
pro-opposition news Web site Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz.
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Held at Evin Prison, Nourizad has waged a hunger strike, according (hftp:Ilwww.hra-news.org CHRR
/ news/11905.aspx) to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Jonbesh-e-Rah-e-Sabz
reported that (http:/ /www.rahesabz.net /stor v/8425/) Nourizad's wife was denied visitation rights.
Nourizad had once written for Kayhan, a newspaper closely associated with conservative elements in the government,
but he distanced himself from the publication after the disputed June presidential election. Kayhan has repeatedly
attacked Nourizad and his writing since that time, according to CPJ research.
( http:llnews.gooya.comlpoliticslarchivesl2O l 0101 1098659.php )
Emadeddin Baghi, freelance
Imprisoned: December 23, 2009
Baghi, the prominent Iranian author, journalist, and human rights activist, was arrested after being summoned to the
security division of the Revolutionary Court, according (http://www.ayandenews.com/news/1 6776) to the reformist
Ayandeh News Web site.
When Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri died in December, the BBC Persian service aired a
two-year old interview that Baghi had conducted with the influential cleric. Baghi was arrested
soon after the rebroadcast. The government had sought to clamp down on publicity about
Montazeri, who had criticized the conduct of the June presidential election. The warrant for
Bag hi's arrest said he was being detained to “prevent abuse of Ayatollah Montazeri's death.”
Baghi's family has expressed concern about his health. Relatives posted bail for a temporary
furlough in March for the Iranian New Year, but authorities did not agree to his release,
according (http:Iladvarnews.biz/humanrightl l 0688.aspx) to Advar News Web site, which quoted
his wife. The report said that after serving 50 days in solitary confinement, Baghi was moved to a
cell with two or three other prisoners. He has been allowed to see his children only once, and his
access to telephone calls has been irregular.
Baghi has been arrested numerous times in the past. In 2000, he was sentenced (http:I lcpj.org/2000/07/journalist-
sentenced-for-criticizing-regime.php) to five and a half years in prison on charges of “questioning Islamic law,”
“threatening national security,” and “spreading unsubstantiated news” in articles detailing the roles of intelligence agents
in a series of politically motivated murders. He served three years in prison before being released. He was arrested
again in 2007 and served several months for “acting against national security,” according to local and international news
reports.
Alireza Beheshti Shirazi, Kalameh Sabz
Imprisoned: December 23, 2009
Shirazi, editor-in-chief of the now-defunct reformist daily Kalameh Sabz, was taken
from his home and brought to an unknown location, according to international news
reports (http://www.cnn.com/2O09IWORLD/meast/12/28/iran.arrests/ )
Shirazi had been arrested (hftp://cpj.org/2009/06/iran-releases-some-iournalists-
vilifies-foreign-pr.php) and released in the aftermath of the disputed June presidential
election. At the time, he had given interviews to foreign-language news media about
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the post-election turmoil.
Creative Commons
In a February 28 interview (http://www.kaleme.com/ 1388/ 1 2 /09 /kIm- I 2687) with
Kalame, Beheshti's family members expressed concern about a lack of information in the case. They have not been
allowed to see him and he has only been allowed to call them once. His son told Kalame that he does not know what
charges Beheshti faces. The journalist remains in solitary confinement, the son said.
Badressadat Mofidi, Iranian Journalists Association
Imprisoned: December 29, 2009
Mofidi writes articles and conducts interviews with national and international media outlets as secretary of the Iranian
Journalists Association, according to local news reports. She had discussed the government's press policies in a
December 22 interview (http:l/www.dw-world.deldwlarticlel o,,5046682,00.html) with the Persian service of the German
public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
No formal charges have been disclosed against her. According to (http://www.roozonline.com/persian/news/newsitem
/ articleIlO7l-d8238360c4.html) Rooz Online, Mofidi's family is concerned about her health; it is not clear whether she has
access to her medications for a blood disease. She is currently in Evin Prison's “methadone ward,” which is said to have
substandard hygiene standards.
Omid Montazeri, freelance
Imprisoned: December 30, 2009
Montazeri faces charges related to his participation in Ashura Day protests on December
28, 2009, along with his published articles and interviews with foreign news outlets, his aunt
told the reformist news site Farhanq-e Goft-o Goo ( http:/Ifarhanqqofteqo.com
Iindex.php?optioncom content&vievr—article&id=787:2010-02-O1-08-05-08&
catid—35:2009-08-24-18-45-37&Itemid—54#JOSC TOP) . The site said Montazeri has denied
all charges. Montazeri is being tried along with 15 other people, some of whom face
charges as serious as the capital crime of moharebeh, or heresy.
Defense attorneys have been obstructed in their efforts to confer with Montazeri and review
his file, the journalist's sister told (http://www.radiofarda.com/content/f35 _ Montazeri _ Fahimi
/ 1944406.html) the U.S. government-funded Radio Farda. Government media have published Montazeri's “confessions,”
which his sister said appear to be coerced. She said she is deeply concerned about the physical and psychological
conditions in which her brother is being held.
Montazeri was arrested a day after his mother, peace activist Mahin Fahimi was taken into custody, according
( http://www.rahesabz.net /storyl7244/) to Jonbesh-e-Rah-e-Sabz Web site. Montazeri's father was executed for his
political activities in 1988. Montazeri was sentenced to six years in prison on February 27, according to (http:l/schrr.net
lspip.php?article8654) the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
Mostafa Dehghan, freelance
Imprisoned: January 8, 2010
Dehghan wrote about social issues for several newspapers and the women's rights Web site
RAHANA
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Change for Equality, according (file : ///ll%2Ohttp:/www.rahesabz.net/storyl7558l%20%20) to Facebook
Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz. He is in E'vin Prison's Ward 209, where political prisoners are held. The
Web site Jmin News ( http://wwwjminews.com/news/fa/?mi=39&ni=6132) said Dehghan called his family in mid-January
but said he did not know why he had been detained.
Ali Mohammad Eslampour, Navaye Vaght
Imprisoned: February 2, 2010
9 Eslampour, a newspaper editor in Kermanshah Province who also writes a !z!cn
( http://www.bamdadl.blogfa.com/) , was arrested on February 2, according to
( http:llhammihannews.comlnews/8997) the reformist news Web site Hammihan. He was
summoned to the Revolutionary Courts of Kermanshah on charges of “propagating falsehoods with
the goal of creating public anxiety,” and “using abusive language through writing in blogs.” Na va ye
Vaght was supportivo of Mir Hossein Mousavi during his elections campaign.
Zeinab Kazemkhah, Iranian Student News Agency
Imprisoned: February 7, 2010
Kazemkhah, a reporter with the state-owned Iranian Student News Agency, was arrested by Ministry of Information
officers at 3 a.m. on February 7 at her home and transferred to an unknown location, according to
( http://www.feministschool.com/spip.php?article42l8) The Feminist School, a Web site dedicated to Iranian women's
movement issues and news. The officers showed her a warrant for her arrest in which her charge was stated as
“participating in congregations,” the Nedaye Sabz-e Azadi Web site reported (http://www.irangreenvoice.com/content
11058) .
Hamid Mafi, freelance
Imprisoned: February 9, 2010
Mafi was arrested in the city of Qazvin, according to (http://www.roozonline.com/persian
/ news/newsitem/article/201 0/february/I 6/-6b025a69e1 . html) Rooz Online, but his
whereabouts and legal status are unknown. Mafi, who is a political writer, wrote for local
publications in Qazvin, including Hadis weekly, as well as in national publications such as
Shargh newspaper, and reformist papers such as Etemad, Etemad e Mel/i, and
Kargozaran, according to (hftp://chrr.us/spip.php?article3745) the Committee of Human
Rights Reporters. Mafi had previously been the political editor of Farhang-e Ash /i
newspaper in Tehran.
A u Malihi, Etemad, Irandokht, Shahrvand-e Emruz, and Mehrnameh
Malihi, a journalist for several publications and a council member of the Iranian Students
Association (Advar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat), was arrested and transferred to an unknown
location on February 9, according to (http://www.schrr.net/spip.php?article8345) a report by
RAHA A
, a
RAHANA
Imprisoned: February 9, 2010
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Facebook the Committee of Human Rights Reporters. The Web site Advar News ( http://advarnews.biz
/ organizationhlo449.aspx) reported that Malihi is in solitary confinement in Ward 240 of Evin
Prison. He was allowed to make one telephone call to his family. No charges have been disclosed.
On February 27, Jonbesti-e Rah-e Sabz, among other publications, published (http://www.rahesabz.net/storv/11O87/) a
petition signed by 250 civil society activists demanding his release, stating that he is a journalist who is not involved in
politics.
Hengameh Shahidi, Etemad e Melli
Imprisoned: February 25, 2010
Shahidi faces charges of “propagating against the regime, mutiny, illegal congregation, membership in an organization
that has acted against national security, and insulting the president,” according to (http://www.iranhumanrights.org
/ 201 0/03/six-year-prison-sentences-for-om id-montazeri-and-hengameh-shahidil) the International Campaign for Human
Rights in Iran's Web site.
Shahidi was previously arrested on June 30, 2009, and released on bail of 90 million
toomans (US$90,000) on October 31, 2009. In November, a court sentenced her to six
years and three months in prison. She was released pending an appeal.
On February 24, 2010, Branch 54 of the Revolutionary Courts affirmed her sentence,
dropping only the charge of “insulting the president.” Shahidi was taken into custody the
following day, according to (http:llwww.chrr.us/spip.php?article7o77) the Committee of ____________
Human Rights Reporters. _______________________
Shahidi worked for Mehdi Karroubi's presidential campaign and has written about Iranian
and international politics, human rights, and specifically women's rights. She is known as a
reformist journalist and has written many articles in support of campaigns to halt the practice of stoning.
Abolfazl Abed mi Nasr, Bahar Ahvaz Weekly
Imprisoned, March 3, 2010
Abedini, who frequently writes about labor rights and labor disputes, was arrested in Ahvaz on
March 3, according (http://antitaleban.wordpress.com/201 0/03/06/% D9%87% D8%AC% D9%88% D9
%85-°Io DB%8C% DA%A9-% D9%84% D8% B4% DA%A9% D8% BI - % D8%A7% 08% B7% D9%84% D8
%A7% D8% B9% D8%A7% D8%AA% DB%8C-% 08% B3% D9% BE% D8%A7% D9%87-% D8%A8% D8
% BI % D8%A7% DB% 8C-°Io D8%AF% D8% B3% D8%AA% DA%AF% DB%8C% D8% B1/) to local news
sources. He was transferred to Tehran on March 6, according (http://rhairan.info/prisoners
/ ?p=1540) to the Reporters and Human Rights Activists News Agency. He has not had any contact
with his family during his detention and has been guoted (http://www.rhairan.org/archives/6582 ) as
saying that he will go on an open-ended hunger strike.
After the presidential elections, Abedini was arrested on June 29 and released on bail on October 26, according
( http ://www.rhairan.org/archives/5887 ) to the Reporters and Human Rights ActMsts News Agency. Abedini's mother
issued an open letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, on May 29, demanding justice for her son.
Abedini has been under interrogation in solitary confinement in the custody of the Revolutionary Guard at Evin Prison
without access to his lawyer and in poor physical and psychological health, according (http://www.hambastegimeli.com
( http://cpi.org
/ Hengameh%2 oShahidi .jpg )
Feminist School
Street Journalist
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/ index.php?option=com content&view=article&id=4836:2010-03-29-13-27-58&catid=1 I : 2009-09-22-08-59-59&Itemid=15) to
his mother's letter, which was published on several news Web sites.
Mojtaba Gahestooni, freelance
Imprisoned: March 5, 2010
Gahestooni, the author of a blog (http://sokhango.blogfa.com/) about the care and upkeep of historical sites in Ahvaz
province, was arrested by security forces at his home, according (http://www.rhairan.info/archives/6059 ) to the Web
site of Reporters and Human Rights Activists News Agency. Considered an authority on the topic, he has been critical of
Iran's management of national heritage sites, the Web site reported. No formal charges have been disclosed.
Sousan Mohammadkhani Ghiasvand, freelance
Imprisoned: March 11, 2010
Ghiasvand, a blogger, is being held at Rajaee Shahr Prison, according
( http://www.schrr.netlspip.php?articIe8859) to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
Ghiasvand has written about women's rights in Kurdistan, her home province, for Kurdish
Web sites such as Kurdane (http:Ilwww.kurdane.com/farsi/) . No formal charges have been
disclosed.
FURLOUGHED ON APRIL 1 BUT DUE BACK IN PRISON
Saeed Laylaz, Sarmayeh
Imprisoned: June 17, 2009
Laylaz, editor of the daily business journal Sarmayeh and a vocal critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic
policies, was arrested at home on June 17, his wife, Sepharnaz Panahi, told the BBC Persian service. She said that
officers searched their home and confiscated videotapes, hard drkes, and letters.
He spent 100 days in solitary confinement at Tehran's Evin Prison before being moved to a group
cell, where he was denied newspapers, pen, and paper, his wife told the Committee of Human
Rights Reporters. Laylaz was charged with “congregation and mutiny against national security,
propagating against the regime, disrupting public order, and keeping classified documents,”
accord ing to Mowjcamp, a news Web site supportive of the defeated presidential candidate
Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
After a two-hour trial in November, he was sentenced to nine years in prison, according to the
Human Rights Activists News Agency and online accounts. His wife told the news Web site Kalameh that the “classified
document” that was a centerpiece of the prosecution was actually a published and widely available investigation into the
Iranian judiciary.
An appeals hearing on March 15 reduced Laylaz's sentence to six years. Laylaz was furloughed for the Iranian New
Year after posting 500 million toomans (US$500,000) bail, according (http://www.rahesabz.net/storv/12668/ ) to
Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz Web site. Laylaz was due back in prison on April 4.
CHRR
RSF
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Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, freelance
Imprisoned: June 19, 2009
Amouee, a contributor to reformist newspapers such as Mihan, Hamshahri, Jame'e, Khordad, Norooz,
and Sharq, and the author of an eponymous blog, was arrested with his wife, Zhila Bani-Yaghoub,
according to news reports. Bani-Yaghoub, editor-in-chief of the Iranian Women's Club, a news Web site
focusing on women's rights, was released on bail on August 19, according to the BBC Persian service.
Amouee was being held in Tehran's Evin Prison, pad of the time in solitary confinement, according to news
reports. Amouee's wife said the journalist was denied access to his family and lawyer for several weeks,
according to Mowjcamp, a news Web site supportive of the reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
On January 5, Amouee was sentenced to 34 lashes, along with seven years and four months in prison. Amouee's wife,
journalist Zhila Bani-Yaghoub, told (http:l/www.roozonline.com/persian/newslnewsite mlarticlell07l-d8238360c4.html )
Rooz Online on February 21 that he has been sharing a 115-square-foot (35-square-meter) cell with 40 other prisoners.
An appeals court reduced Amouee's sentence to five years in prison on March 7, according (http:llwww.roozonhine.com
/ persian/newslnewsitem/articlell0 ll-365c4841f9.html) to Rooz Online. He was furloughed for the Iranian New Year after
posting bail of 500 million toomans (US$500,000), according (http:Ilwww.kaleme.com 11388/12 127/klm-14614)to Kalame.
Amouee was due back in prison on April 4.
Reza Nourbakhsh, Farhikhtegan
Imprisoned: August 4, 2009
Authorities took Nourbakhsh, editor-in-chief of the reformist newspaper Farhikhtegan, into
custody after searching his home, according to news reports. Nourbakhsh also contributed to
Jomhooriyat, a news Web site supportive of the defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein
Mousavi.
Nourbakhsh was among more than 100 opposition figures and journalists who faced a mass,
televised judicial proceeding in August on vague antistate accusations, according to news
reports. He was sentenced to six years in prison on November 3, although the exact charges
against him were not disclosed. Nourbakhsh was furloughed for the Iranian New Year on
unspecified bail, according to the Reporters and Human Rights Activists News Agency
( http:/lwww.rhairan.infolarchivesl5876) . Nourbakhsh was due back in prison on April 4.
Saeed Jalalifar, Committee of Human Rights Reporters
Saeed Kalanaki, Committee of Human Rights Reporters
Imprisoned: December 2, 2009
Jalalifar and Kalanaki, who reported on child labor and political prisoner issues, were arrested after being summoned by
the Ministry of Information, the reformist news Web site Kalame reported (http:llwww.kaleme.orglfeed) .
Jalalifar, Kalanaki, and several other members of Committee of Human Rights
Reporters have been under pressure in prison to confess to ties with the Mojahedeen-e
Khalgh organization, an armed opposition group outside Iran, according to
( http:llwww.rahesabz.netlstoryl9075l) the Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz. Members of the
committee have been prevented from seeing their attorneys, a right guaranteed under
the Iranian Constitution. Two of the other arrested members of the committee, Kouhyar
Feminist
School
Facebook
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Goudarzi and Mehrdad Rahimi, have been charged with heresy, or moharebeh—a Kalanaki (CHRR)
capital crime.
Jalalifar and Kalanaki were the first of several committee journalists to be arrested for their
work in exposing alleged human rights violations and government malfeasance. Jalalifar was
unable to contact his family during the first 40 days of his confinement, according
( http:/lwww.chrr.us/spip.php?article78O3) to the committee's Web site. The two were
furloughed for the Iranian New Year after posting bail of 100 million toomans (US$100,000)
apiece, according (http:llhra-news.org/index.php?option=com content&view=article&
id=86:1389-01-02-16-45-27&catid=6:31&Itemid=7)to the Human Rights Activists News Agency
Web site and the news Web site Kalame (http://www.kaleme.com/1388 112120 1k 1m-13868 )
Saeed Haeri, Committee of Human Rights Reporters
Imprisoned: December 20, 2009
Haeri was detained with colleague Shiva Nazar Ahari while on a bus from Tehran to Qom to attend
the funeral of influential cleric Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri. Haeri's family was unable to visit the
journalist until January 24, according to the Amir Kabir Bulletin (http:/Iwww.autnews.de/node16632 )
an online student news site critical of the Iranian government.
No formal charges have been disclosed against Haeri. He furloughed for the Iranian New Year after
posting bail of 100 million toomans (US$100,000), according (http:llwww.kaleme.com 11388/12
/ 20/klm-13868) to Kalame.
Arvin Sedaghat Kish, Farhang va A hang
Imprisoned: December 27, 2009
Sedag hat Kish, a writer for the culture and ads magazine Farhang va Ahang, was the first of three journalists for the
monthly publication to be arrested, according to CPJ research. Kish, who is also a musician, wrote for other magazines
and Web sites, including Harmony Talk, according (http:/lwww.bbc.co.uklpersianhiranl20 l 0/01/100117 uOl -
117-atashi.shtml) to the BBC Persian service. No formal charges have been disclosed. Sedaghat Kish was furloughed for
the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail, according (http:/lmizankhabar.net/index.php?option=com content&
view=article&id=510: 1388-12-19-09-39-56&catid=43:2010-01 - 09-15-51 - 03&Itemid=123) to the news Web site Mizan
Kha bar.
Morteza Kazemian, Jonbesh-e Rah-Sabz
Imprisoned: December 29, 2009
Kazemian has written regularly for the opposition news Web site Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz since
its inception this year, the news Web site reported (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/6594/ ) .
Fahimeh Mellati, He was arrested once before, in 2002, in connection with his work for two
newspapers that were facing government shutdown at the time.
After serving 60 days in solitary confinement, Kazemian was furloughed for the Iranian New
Year on unspecified bail, according (http:llzamaaneh.com/news/2010/03/post _ 12392.html) to
‘ -4
Jalalifar (CHRR)
CHRR
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Radio Zamaneh.
RSF
Kayvan Mehregan, Etemad
Imprisoned: December 29, 2009
Mehregan is the editor of the political section of the reformist daily Etemad. Authorities arrested him at his office,
according to local news reports.
Mehregan's brother told reporters on February 27 that Kayvan was granted a bail order for 100 million toomans
(US$100,000) and that the family is trying to raise the large sum for his release, according to (http://mizankhabar.net
/ index.php?option=com content&view=article&id=451 : 1388-12-08-1O-00-48&catid=43:2010-01 - 09-15-51 - 03&Itemid=123 )
the Mizan News Web site. His charges were announced as membership in the self-described “national religious”
opposition Nehzat-e Azadi Party, but conservative newspapers and Web sites later accused him of being affiliated with
separatist organizations, according to the same Mizan News report. Mehregan was furloughed for the Iranian New Year
after posting bail of $100,000, according (http:llwww.schrr.net/spip.php?article8700) to the Committee of Human Rights
Reporters.
Mehrdad Rahimi, Committee of Human Rights Reporters
Imprisoned: January 1, 2010
Mehrdad Rahimi and Parisa Kakaee, journalists for the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, were arrested after
being summoned by the Ministry of Information, the reformist news Web site Kalame reported
/ feed) . Several other committee journalists have been arrested for their work in exposing alleged human rights violations
and government malfeasance. Kakaee was released in late February.
Rahimi told his family that interrogators said he would be charged with the capital crime,
moharebeti, or heresy, Kalame said. The charge was formally announced in late January,
according to the BBC Persian service. In a February 21, article, the Committee of Human
Rights Reporters reported (http://chrr.us/spip.php?article8542) that in a meeting with his
family, Rahimi told them he has been under pressure to make a televised confession, but he
has maintained that he is innocent and has called his arrest illegal. Rahimi was was
furloughed for the Iranian New Year on bail of 100 million toomans (US$100,000), according
( http://www.kaIeme.com/1 388/1 2/20/kIm-I 3868) to Kalame.
Mehraneh Atashi, freelance
Imprisoned: January 11, 2010
Atashi, a freelance photographer, and her husband were arrested at their home, according
( http://www.radiofarda.com/archive/news/201 001 18/143/143.html?id=1 932144) to the U.S.
government-funded Radio Farda and other news sources. Agents seized some of the couple's
personal items, including their computer, news reports said.
Atashi, 30, has worked for several domestic publications, such as Soroush Javan and Hamstiahri
Javan, according to (Kalame Web site, and her work
has been exhibited in the United States and Europe. Information on her husband or either of their
charges was not immediately available. Atashi was furloughed for the Iranian New Year on
Facebook
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unspecified bail, according (http://www.feministschool.comlspip.php?article4356) to the Feminist School Web site.
Lili Farhadpour, freelance
Imprisoned: January 21, 2010
Farhadpour, a veteran journalist who has written about cultural and social issues for reformist
newspapers, was arrested by security forces at her home. She is also the mother of Behrang
Tonekaboni, editor-in-chief of Fahang va Ahang, who was arrested on January 6. Behrang
Tonekaboni was released on February 28.
No formal charges have been disclosed against Farhadpour. She was furloughed for the Iranian New
Year after posting bail of $90,000, according (http:llwww.rahesabz.netlstoryl l2O4ll) to Jonbesh-e
Rah-e Sabz Web site.
Nooshin Jafari, Etemad
Imprisoned: February 3, 2010
One of the youngest imprisoned journalists at 22, Jafari is a reporter with Etemad's ads and
culture section. According to (http:llwww.schrr.netlspip.php?article8569) the Web site of the
Committee of Human Rights Reporters, she was arrested shortly after midnight at her home.
Security officers searched the premises and confiscated personal items including her computer.
Jafari is a founding member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, although she has not
been involved with the organization's Web site since she started writing for Etemad. No formal
charges have been disclosed. Jafari was furloughed for the Iranian New Year under a custodial
arrangement, according (http:llwww.schrr.netlspip.php?article872l) to the Committee of Human
Rights Reporters.
Naeemeh Doostdar, Jam-e-Jam
Imprisoned: February 6, 2010
Doostdar is a journalist, writer, and poet who wrote for the arts and culture section of the conservative pro-government
daily Jam-c-Jam. Prior to working for Jam-c-Jam, she worked with Farhang (Culture) Radio and for magazines in the
Hamshahri publishing group, which is owned by the city of Tehran. Doostdar was transferred to Evin Prison after her
arrest, according to (http:llwww.roozonline.com/persianlnewslnewsitemlarticle/2OlOlfebruaryl l 61-6b025a69e1 . html )
Rooz Online.
The Web site of Reporters and Human Rights Activists, an organization that covers human rights abuses inside Iran,
reported (http:llwww.rhairan.netlarchivesl3657) that no formal charges against Doostdar have been disclosed. Doostdar
was furloughed for the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail.
Akbar Montajebi, Etemad
Imprisoned: February 7, 2010
p
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Montajebi is an experienced journalist working most recently for the opposition daily Facebook
Etemad. He has also written for numerous reformist and opposition publications,
including .Sobh-e Emruz and Shargh.
Montajebi was arrested at 2 a.m. at his home, according to (http://www.irangreenvoice.com/content/1058) the reformist
Web site Nedaye Sabz Azadi. In an interview with Rooz Online, his wife expressed concern
( http://www.roozonline.com/persian/news/newsitem/article/1 071-a9a400eel a.html) about Montajebi's prolonged detention.
The journalist's wife has multiple sclerosis, and she said her condition has worsened since her husband's arrest.
Montajebi was furloughed for the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail.
Somayeh Momeni, Nasim-e Bidari
Imprisoned: February 7, 2010
Momeni, a journalist with Nasim-e Bidari magazine and a women's rights activist was arrested by security officers at 3
a.m. at her home, according to (http://hra-news.org/news/I 2751 . aspx) the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Momeni had previously worked as a reporter for the ISNA News Agency, reported (http://www.irangreenvoice.com
/ conte nt/I 058) Nedaye Sabz e Azadi, a pro-opposition news Web site. No formal charges have been disclosed. Momeni
was furloughed for the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail.
Ehsan Mehrabi, reporter, Farhikhtegan
Imprisoned: February 7, 2010
Mehrabi, a parliamentary affairs reporter for the reformist newspaper Farhikhtegan newspaper, was
arrested at his home on February 7, according to (file:/l/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Iwolfe
/ Local%2 oSettinqs/lwolfe/Local%2 oSeftings/lwolfe/Local%2 oSettings/lwolfe/Local%2 oSettings
ITem porary%20lnternet%2OFiles/OLKI ONNedaye%2OSabz-e%20Azadi%2OWeb%20site) the Nedaye
Sabz-e Azadi Web site. No formal charges have been disclosed. Mehrabi was furloughed for the Iranian
New Year on unspecified bail. I
RAHANA
Vahid Pourostad, freelance
Imprisoned: February 9, 2010
Pourostad, a well-known Iranian journalist who has published several books, was arrested at
home on a warrant issued by the Tehran prosecutor's office, according to
( http://www.iranhumanrights.org/20I 0/02/arrest-of-iournalist-vahid-pourostad/) the International
Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. His home was later searched and his laptop computer and
handwritten notes were confiscated. Arresting officers did not give his family reasons for his
arrest. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Poorostad called his
home at the end of February and said he is in Ward 240 of BÀn Prison.
Pourostad served on the editorial boards of Mosharekat, Yas-e No, and Vaghaye Ettefaghieh
Facebook newspapers and wrote for reformist newspapers Etemad e Mel/i, Mosharekat, Salam,
and Farhikhtegan, according to another news item (hftp://www.iranhumanrights.org/20I 0/02
/ vahid-poorostad-possiblity-of-release/) by the human rights group.
19 of 20
03/08 2010 14:03
Furloughs lower Iran prison count, but dozens still jailed. Committee to P... http://cpj.org'2010/O4/furloughs•lower•iran•prison•count•but•dozens-still.pI ,
Pourostad is the author and producer of a book series related to legal documents pertaining to the Iranian press. He
was furloughed for the Iranian New Year under a custodial arrangement, according to the BBC.
April 6, 2010 12:01 AM ET I Permalink (http:Ilcpj.org/201 O/04/furloughs-lower-iran-prison-count-but-dozens-still.php )
20 of 20 03/08 2010 14:03
