Aadel Collection

Iran remains world's worst jailer of journalists

          
          Iran remains world's worstjailer of'journalists - Committee to Protect Jo... http://cpj .org/20 10/05/iran-reniains-worlds-worst-jailer-of-journalists.pl ,
          a:
          cPJ
          Committee to Protect Journalists
          Defending Journal is: s Worldwide
          Iran remains world's worst jailer of journalists
          New York, May 6, 2010—At least 35 journalists were behind bars in Iran as of May I with another 18 detainees free on
          short-term furloughs, according to CPJ's monthly census of imprisoned Iranian journalists. The figures, unchanged from
          CPJ's April census, reflect a government still intent on silencing free expression.
          “Iran's leadership is taking the country into a period of permanent media repression,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel
          Simon. “These policies have done immense damage to Iranian society and the country's standing in the world.”
          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.
          In Iran, most of the 18 furloughed journalists were freed in March for the Iranian New Year but have yet to be taken back
          into custody. The reformist news Web site Kalame reported that the furloughed writers, many of whom were due back in
          jail in April, remain free in part because some judicial officials have come to see the imprisonment of journalists as a blot
          on the judiciary's record.
          Earlier surveys
          • April (http:Ilcpj.orgI2O lOIO4
          / furloughs-Iower-i ran-prison-
          count-but-dozens-still.php )
          • March (http://cpi.orci/2010/03
          Iwith-52-journalists-in-jail-
          iran-hits-new-shamefu.php )
          • February ( http://cpj.org
          / 2010/02 /with-47-journalists -
          CPJ is conducting monthly surveys of journalists imprisoned in Iran in response to the
          government crackdown. CPJ's April census also recorded 35 journalists in Iranian prisons
          with 18 on short-term furlough. The March census recorded 52 journalists in prison, while the
          February census found 47 behind bars. The surveys, conducted on the first of each month,
          are snapshots of those incarcerated on that date.
          Below are capsule reports on the journalists imprisoned and furloughed in Iran:
          Columnist Ahmad Zaid-Abadi, foreground, at a mass, televised
          judicial proceeding in 2009. (Reuters)
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          in -jail-iran-sets-notorious-
          re.php )
          IN CUSTODY
          Adnan Hassanpour, Aso
          Imprisoned: January 25, 2007
          Security agents seized Hassanpour, former editor for the now-defunct Kurdish-Persian
          weekly Mo, 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 Web site, Adnan Hassanpour's death sentence was
          overturned in February and he was given a new sentence of 31 years in prison. Human Rights Activists said
          Hassanpour's lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, has submitted an appeal.
          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. According to a December 22
          Farda report (http:llradiozamaneh.org/jiar/2009/12/post 99.html) by Radio Zamaneh, Kaboudvand is ill
          and in poor physical condition. He has suffered several ailments during his imprisonment, but
          authorities have refused requests for medical furlough.
          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.
          The reformist news Web site Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz reported that Lotfi, a veteran of the
          Iran-Iraq War who was disabled after exposure to chemical warfare, was granted “open prison”
          privileges after he developed respiratory problems at Qom's Langaroud Prison several months
          RSF
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          RSF ago. Under the “open prison” conditions, Lotfi could leave the jail each evening and return early
          the next morning. In April, his “open prison” privileges were revoked because of his perceived
          affiliation with the late Ayatollah Montazeri's office, Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz reported (http://www.rahesabz.net/story
          / 13810/) .
          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 ! ) in Khodnevis, a cooperative Web site of Iranian journalists,
          Derakhshan has spent more than nine months of his detention in solitary confinement at BÀn 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 published open letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, Derakhshan's
          mother complained (http:llwww.kaleme.com/1388!12!27/k lm-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://www.radiofarda.com/content/f4 Hossein Derakhshan detention no trail/1987550.html) 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!10 122/klm-8161 ) to the reformist Web site Ka!ame. 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 Siasat
          Roozi, 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.  1388/ 1022
          / klm-8161) Jooni was named as a prisoner in critical health in an April 6 report (http://persian.iranhumanriqhts.org
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          / 1389/01/health prisoners report/) from the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran and in an April 28 report
          ( http:llparlemannews.ir/index.aspx?n=1 0683) on Par/eman News.
          Mohammad Pour Abdollah, freelance
          Imprisoned: February 13, 2009
          On December 9, 2009, branch 15 of Iran's Revolutionary Courts sentenced Pour Abdollah,
          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.uk/persian/iran/2009
          / 12/091210 op students pouabdullah sentenced azar.shtml) the BBC Persian Web site.
          - r Several news Web sites said he has been tortured and abused physically and
          - - lh. _ psychologically in Ghezel Hesar Prison, which houses hardened criminals.
          RAHANA
          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:llazadi-
          mohamad.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post.html) critically about the political, social, and economic conditions in Iran and
          elsewhere. According to an April 21 report on the Human Rights ActMsts Web site, Pour Abdollah's six-year prison
          sentence was reduced to three years. His lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaee, expressed hope in a recent interview
          ( http:llhranews.info/1389-01 - 27-05-26-23/807-1.html) that Pour Abdollah might be released on furlough or parole.
          Morteza Moradpour, Yazligh
          Imprisoned: May 22, 2009
          Moradpour, who wrote for Yaz/igh, 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.
          Moradpour 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
          Yaz/igh were used as evidence in the trial against him, the news Web site Bizim Tabriz
          reported (http://btna.info/index.php/photo/481 9.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 had increased as
          the go'iernment attempted to marginalize the 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 Par/eman News Web site.
          ADAPP
          a
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          Creative Commons 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:/Iwww.dw-world.de
          / dw/article/0.,4922261.OO.htm) Deutsche Welle's Persian Web site. An appeals court upheld the sentence on January 2,
          2010, according to Advar News ( http:/Iadvarnews.bizlorganizationl lO l86.aspx) .
          Zaid-Abadi and journalist Massoud Bastani were transferred to Rajaee Shahr Prison in February. His lawyer objected to
          the transfer, according (http:Ilwww.etemaad.ir/Released/88-11-18/204.htm#174488)to the reformist daily Etemad.
          Rajaee Shahr Prison's detainees are mostly hardened criminals.
          Omid Satimi, 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 Activists 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
          Activists New Agency. No formal charges have been disclosed.
          Kayvan Samimi, Nameh
          Imprisoned: June 14, 2009
          Samimi, manager of the now-defunct monthly Nameh, 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.
          On February 22, Samimi was transferred from Evin's general ward to solitary confinement
          after he objected to unsuitable prison conditions, according (file: IIIC:
          / Documents%2Oand%2 oSettings/Iwo lfe lLocat%2 oSettings/Iwo lfe/Loca l%2 oSettings
          ITem porary%2 olnternet%2OFiIeslIwoIfelLocaI%2OSettingsllwolfelLocal%2OSettingsllwolfe
          ILocaI%20SettingsllwolfelLocal%2OSettingslTem porary%2Olnternet%2OFiIesIOLKl OA
          ______ I:lwww.free-iournalists.comI2Ol OIO2lbIog-post 31 57.html) to the Free Iranian Journalists
          Web site. A scheduled family visit was also 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
          ( hftp:llwww.irangreenvoice.com/content/1 399) the reformist Web site Nedaye Sabz-e Azadi. Jomhooriyat was banned
          by Iranian authorities on June 12, 2009, the Asr-e Iran news Web site reported (http://www.asriran.com/fa/pages
          I?cid=75104) . Karami, a close ally of reformist politician Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been coerced into confessions
          implicating himself and others, according to the Reporters and Human Rights Activists of Iran (http://rhairan.org
          Iprisonersl?p=1029) Web site.
          On February 27, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison and fined the equivalent of 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://www.farsnews.com
          iN
          ‘ a rd
          RAHANA
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          / newstext.php?nn=8806030615) the semi-official Fars news agency. Karami is being held at Evin Prison, the reformist
          news Web site Jonbesh-e Pa / i-c Sabz reported. (http://www.rahesabz.net/storyl14434l )
          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. His lawyer said his client faces charges of “participation in
          riots,” “encouraging others to participate in riots,” and “insulting the supreme
          leader,” according to Pooz 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 part of that time. He
          returned to Iran in 1997 to work in Mohammad Khatami's Ministry of Islamic
          Guidance, in charge of domestic publications. Journalist Ahmad Bourghani and
          Sahar-Khiz 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 Eglitesad, and monthly
          magazine, Aftab, both of which were eventually banned. He wrote articles directly critical of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
          Iran's supreme leader.
          The columnist has been subjected to constant pressure at Evin Prison, including being kept in a prison yard overnight in
          freezing temperatures without shoes or socks according to (http://www.roozonline.com/persian/news/newsitem/article
          / 1 07/-d8238360c4.html) Pooz Online.
          Sahar-Khiz waged a hunger strike in March according to the Norooz news Web site, which quoted
          ( http:llnorooznews.infolnews/17266.php) his son as saying that he lost about 45 pounds (20 kilograms). In an open
          letter (http://www.sahamnews.orgl?p=1647) to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, published on the Saham News
          Web site on April 15, Sahar-Khiz asked the U.N. leader to visit political prisoners being held at Evin Prison. The journalist
          remains in solitary confinement.
          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 2009 on vague antistate accusations, according to news reports. In
          September, his lawyer, Mohammad Sharrif, told the online Amir Kabir Newsletter that Bastani had spent weeks in
          solitary confinement.
          On October 20, 2009, 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
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          to the Rajaee Shahr Prison for hardened criminals, along with Ahmad Zaid-Abadi, according to (http:llwww.etemaad.ir
          / Released/88-1 1-1 8/204. htm #1 74488) the reformist daily Etemad.
          Saeed Matin-Pour, Yar Pag and Mot if Bidari
          Imprisoned: July 12, 2009
          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
          Permission by his family, secure a medical release for examination outside prison, according to the Web
          ADAPP site Advarnews. Matin-Pour suffered severe chest pains on February 4, but prison
          authorities delayed medical attention, according to (http://www.savalansesi.com/2010/02
          / blog-post 5278.html) Sava/an Sessi, an Azeri human rights Web site. Matin-Pour's wife,
          Atieh Taheri, told the Reporters and Human Rights Activists that the journalist's health has deteriorated and he is being
          denied proper medical care at Evin Prison.
          Mohammad Hossein Sohrabi Rad, Saham News
          Imprisoned: September 2009
          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:/llll%20http:/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.b logspot.com/2010/01/b log-post _ 3603.htm l) to the Web site of Human Rights and Democracy Activists of
          Iran. He was married shortly before his arrest, according to the site.
          Mohammad Davari, Saham News
          Imprisoned: September 5, 2009
          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 Tahavo/khani 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.
          In the weeks after the election, Davari had videotaped the testimony of inmates at Kahrizak
          RAHANA Detention Center who alleged they had been raped and abused while in custody, according
          to the Free /ranian Journa/ists blog. (The detention center was closed in July 2009 after
          evidence emerged of pervasive abuse of detainees.)
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          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 1) 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 not been allowed to contact
          his family.
          Davari has been tortured and coerced into making false statements against former presidential candidate Mehdi
          Karroubi, along with false statements recanting his Kahrizak Detention Center reports, according to an April 6 report
          ( http:llwww.rhairan.infolarchivesl8747) by Reporters and Human Rights Activists.
          The report said Davari has waged a hunger strike and has been denied family visits. The Committee of Human Rights
          Reporters Web site published (http:llwww.schrr.netlspip.php?article94lO) an April 23 letter from Davari's mother to
          U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in which she detailed torture of the journalist.
          Seyed Massoud Lavasani, Shargh, Etemad, Etemad-e-MeIIi
          Imprisoned: September 26, 2009
          Massoud Lavasani has worked for many Iranian newspapers, including Shargh, Etemaci, Etemad-e-Melli Kargozaran,
          as well as 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. An appeals court reduced the sentence to
          six years in prison and 10 years' suspension from practicing journalism, according to an April 15 article
          ( http:llhranews.info/index.php?option=com content&view=article&id=595: masoud-Iavasani&
          catid=11:1388-12-29-22-51-56
          
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          CHRR 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 to reveal passwords to his personal e-mail and to the Committee of
          Human Rights Reporters' Web site. According to an April 28 Committee of Human Rights Reporters article
          ( http:llchrr.us/spip.php?article9479) , Goudarzi and several other members of the committee were taken to an BÀn
          Prison court to be informed of their charges. Among other crimes, he is accused of “propagation against the regime,”
          and “congregation and mutiny with intent to disrupt national security.”
          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.
          The Committee of Human Rights Reporters reported (http:llchrr.us/spip.php?articIe9479) on
          April 28 that Nazar Ahari and several other committee members were taken to an Evin Prison
          court to be informed of their charges. Among other crimes, she is accused of “propagation against the regime” in her
          work for the committee's Web site, and “actions against national security” for her supposed participation in two political
          gatherings in 2009. Nazar Ahari has said that she was covering the gatherings, according to the Web site of the
          International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
          Mohammad Nourizad, freelance
          Imprisoned: December 20, 2009
          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, along with an article (http:llmohammadnurizad.blogfa.com/) criticizing the head of
          Iran's judiciary, the BBC Persian service reported (http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2009
          / 12/091220 na nourizad detained.shtml) . Security officers raided Nourizad's home on January
          5, 2010, seizing his computer and documents, according (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/7247/ )
          to the pro-opposition news Web site Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz.
          Nourizad, who is being held at Evin Prison, has waged a hunger strike, according
          CHRR ( http://www.hra-news.orq/news/11905.aspx)to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
          Jonbesh-e-Rah-e-.Sabz reported that (hftp://www.rahesabz.net/story/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
          Facebook
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          attacked Nourizad and his writing since that time, according to CPJ research.
          On April 24, Nourizad wrote another open letter (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5490753,00.html) to Khamenei
          from his prison cell at Evin Prison, criticizing him for his conduct and his treatment of the Iranian people, several news
          Web sites reported.
          Nourizad was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and 50 lashes by Branch 26 of the Revdutionary Courts on
          charges that included “propagation against the regime” and “insulting the Supreme Leader, the president, [ and] the head
          of the judiciary,” the reformist news Web site Kalame reported (http://www.kaleme.com/l 3 8 9 /0 1 128 /kIm - I 6667) on April
          28. Nourizad's lawyer, Mohammad Alizadeh Tabatabaee, said (http://www.rahesabz.net/storv/14452/) he would file an
          appeal, according to Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz.
          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 /newsI 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
          Baghi'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:lladvarnews.biz/humanrightl l0688.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://cpj.orgI2000IO7Ijournalist-
          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.
          According to an April 23 interview (http:Ilwww.rahesabz.net/story/14190 1) with his wife, Fatemeh Kamali, published on
          the reformist news Web site Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz, Baghi has been informed of new charges related to a book he
          wrote 21 years ago. She said Baghi remains in solitary confinement, where he is denied access to writing materials,
          telephone calls, and visitation rights.
          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
          I reports (http://www.cnn.com/20O9IWORLD/meastI12/28/iran.arrests/) . Heb had been
          arrested (http:I/cpj.orgI2009IO6Iiran-releases-some- iournalists-vilifies-foreign-pr.php )
          but released in the aftermath of the disputed June 2009 presidential election.
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          Iran remains world's worstjailer of'journalists - Committee to Protect Jo... http://cpj .org/20 10/05/iran-remains-worlds-worst-jailer-of-journalists.pl ,
          Creative Commons In a February 28 interview ( http://www.kaleme.com/1388/1 2/09/klm-12687) with news
          Web site 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 is being held in solitary confinement, the
          son said.
          Babak Bordbar, Iran Photojournalism Agency
          Imprisoned: December 27, 2009
          Bordbar, 25, a photojournalist with the Iran Photojournalism Agency (Dourbin), was arrested while photographing street
          protests, according (http://www.rhairan.info/archives/9347) to Reporters and Human Rights Activists. The reformist new
          Web site Jonbesh-e-Rah-e Sabz reported (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/13842) that Bordbar is being held in Ward 350
          of Evin Prison. Authorities have not disclosed charges or other information about Bordbar's legal status.
          Khalil Darmanki, freelance
          Imprisoned: December 27, 2009
          The arrest of Darmanki, a well-known literary critic who has worked for numerous publications, was disclosed in a report
          by the Committee of Human Rights Reporters. Darmanki wrote for Sharq, Etemad-e Mel/i, Asr-e Azadegan, Baya, and
          Armaghan Farhangi, among other publications, the committee said. He is being held at Evin Prison but no formal
          charges have been disclosed.
          The BBC Persian service reported (http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/201 0/01/100120 u04 darmanaki.shtml) that a
          group of more than 100 poets, writers, journalists, and artists had condemned Darmanki's detention. On April 30, he was
          among a group of imprisoned journalists to issue an open letter protesting their detention. The letter was published on a
          number of Web sites.
          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://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5046682,00.html) with the Persian service of the German
          public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
          No formal charges have been disclosed against her. Rooz Online reported (http://www.roozonline.com/persian
          / news/newsitem/article/107/-d8238360c4.html) that Mofidi's family is concerned about her health, and whether she has
          access to medications for a blood disease. Mofidi's daughters widely published a letter (http://www.rhairan.info/archives
          / 8200) after a recent visit with their mother in prison. The letter describes “immense psychological and physical pressure,
          violent and continuous interrogations, solitary confinement, deprivation of phone calls to family, repeated change of
          prison cells, and an ambiguous legal case.”
          Mostafa Dehghan, freelance
          Imprisoned: January 8, 2010
          Dehghan wrote about social issues for several newspapers and the women's rights Web site
          Change for Equality, according (file : /ll//%2ohttp:/www.rahesabz.net/storyI7558/%20%20) to
          Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz. He is in Evin Prison's Ward 209, where political prisoners are held.
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          Facebook
          charges have been disclosed.
          The Web site Jmin News ( http:llwww./minews.comlnewslfa/?mi=39&ni=6132) said Dehghan
          called his family in mid-January but said he did not know why he had been detained. No formal
          Ali Mohammad Eslampour, Navaye Vaght
          Imprisoned: February 2, 2010
          Eslampour, an editor for the newspaper Navaye Vaght in Kermanshah province and the author of a
          blog (http:llwww.bamdad l.blogfa.coml) , was arrested on February 2, according
          ( http:llhammihannews.comlnewsl8997) to the reformist news Web site Hammihan.
          He was summoned to the Revdutionary Court of Kermanshah on charges of “propagating
          falsehoods with the goal of creating public anxiety,” and “using abusive language through writing in
          blogs.” Navaye Vaght was supportive of Mir-Hossein Mousavi during his unsuccessful presidential
          campaign.
          Ehsan Mehrabi, reporter, Farhikhtegan
          Imprisoned: February 7, 2010
          RAHA A
          Mehrabi, a parliamentary affairs reporter for the reformist Farhikhtegan newspaper, was arrested at
          his home on February 7, according (file : IIIC:lDocuments%2 oand%20SettinqsllwolfelLocal%2 oSettinqs
          / IwolfelLocal%20SettingslTem porary%20lnternet%2OFiIeslIwoIfelLocaI%20Settingsllwolfe
          / Local%2 oSettingsllwolfe/Local%20Settingsllwolfe/Local%20SettingslTemporar v%2 olnternet%2 OFiles
          / OLKlOAINedaye%2OSabz-e%2OAzadi%2OWeb%20site) to the Nedaye Sabz-e Azadi news Web site.
          No formal charges have been disclosed. Mehrabi was reported to have been furloughed in March for
          the Iranian New Year, but an April 24 report (http:llwww.rhairan.bizlarchivesl l 0569) by Reporters and
          Human Rights Activists said he is now in prison.
          Mehrabi is in solitary confinement, Rooz Online reported (http:l/www.roozonhine.comlpersianlnewslnewsitemlarticle
          l2OlOlapriIlll/6-13.html) . Mehrabi was granted guardianship orders in February—meaning he could be released in the
          care of a guardian in lieu of bail—but has not been released.
          Mafi was arrested in the city of Qazvin, according (http:llwww.roozonline.comlpersian
          lnews/newsitem/articlel2ol Olfebruarvll 6l-6b025a69e1 . html) to Rooz Online, but his
          whereabouts and legal status are unknown.
          A political reporter, Mafi wrote for local publications in Qazvin, including Hadis weekly. He
          also wrote for national publications such as Shargh and reformist papers such as Etemad,
          Etemad e Melli, and Kargozaran, according to (http:llchrr.uslspip.php?article3745) the
          Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
          Mafi had previously been the political editor of Farhang-e Ashti newspaper in Tehran.
          RAHA A
          Hamid Mafi, freelance
          Imprisoned: February 9, 2010
          RAHANA
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          Au Malihi, Etemad, Irandokht, Shahrvand-e Emruz, and Mehrnameh
          Imprisoned: February 9, 2010
          Malihi, a journalist for several publications and a council member of the Iranian Students
          Association (Advar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat), was arrested in February, according to
          ( http:llwww.schrr.net/spip.php?articIe8345) a report by the Committee of Human Rights
          Reporters.
          The Web site Advar News ( http://advarnews.biz/organizationh l o449.aspx) reported that
          Malihi is in solitary confinement in Ward 240 of Evin Prison and has been allowed only one
          telephone call to his family. No charges have been disclosed. Malihi's lawyers have not been
          allowed access to their client, according to an April 20 report (http://www.rahesabz.net/story
          / 14016/) by the reformist news Web site Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz.
          Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz and others published (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/11087/) a
          February petition signed by 250 civil society activists demanding Malihi's release and stating that he is a journalist who is
          not involved in politics. In a March 14 letter (http:lladvarnews.biz/organization/10631.aspx)to Tehran's prosecutor,
          Malihi's father detailed torture that the journalist has endured at Evin Prison, according to Advar News.
          Hengameh Shahidi, Etemad e MeIIi
          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 (http: / /www.iranhumanrights.org /201 0/03/six-year-prison-sentences-
          for-omid-montazeri-and-hengameh-shahidi/) to the International Campaign for Human
          Rights in Iran.
          Shahidi was previously arrested on June 30, 2009, and released on bail equivalent to
          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:I/www.chrr.us
          / spip.php?article7077) 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. Shahidi spent several days at Evin Prison's infirmary, according to
          an April 26 report (http://www.sahamnews.orgl?p=1978) on .Satiam News. Shahidi's lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaee,
          told (http:/Iwww.kaleme.com/1389/02/06/klm-17656) Kalame that he has requested a retrial.
          Navid Khanjani, Committee of Human Rights Reporters
          Imprisoned: March 2, 2010
          Navid Khanjani was arrested in Isfahan and placed in Tehran's Evin Prison. Several other members of the Committee of
          Human Rights Reporters have also been jailed.
          Khanjani has faced immense pressure and lengthy interrogations at Evin Prison, according (http:llchrr.us
          / spip.php?article9l83) to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters. Khanjani is a member of the Bahai faith and has
          advocated on behalf of Bahai students who have been deprived of education. The Bahai faith is outlawed in Iran.
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          Abolfazl Abedini Nasr, Bahar Ahvaz Weekly
          Imprisoned, March 3, 2010
          Abedini, who frequently writes about labor issues, was arrested in Ahvaz and transferred to Evin
          Prison in Tehran, according (http:llrhairan.info/prisoners/?p=1540)to the Reporters and Human
          Rights Activists News Agency. He was held in solitary confinement and subjected to interrogation
          without access to a lawyer, according (http:llwww.hambastegimeli.com
          / index.php?option=com content&view=article&id=4836: 201 O-03-29-13-27-58&
          catid=11:2009-09-22-08-59-59&Itemid=15) to an open letter from his mother that was published on
          several news Web sites. She said he was in poor physical and psychological health.
          An Ahvaz court sentenced Abedini to 11 years in prison, Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz reported
          ( http://www.rahesabz.net/storv/13237/ ) on April 6. Abedini, who was not represented by a lawyer at
          trial, was sentenced to five years in prison for “contact with enemy states,” five years for his “membership in the
          organization Human Rights Activists in Iran” and one year for “giving interviews to foreign media.” Reports in the
          semi-official Fars news agency allege that Human Rights Activists in Iran wants the “soft overthrow” of the Islamic
          Republic of Iran.
          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. 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.
          FURLOUGHED AS OF MAY I
          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 drives, and letters.
          RSF 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,” according 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 other online accounts. His wife told the news Web site Kalame 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 in March for the Iranian
          Street Journalist
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          New Year after posting bail equivalent to US$500,000, according (http://www.rahesabz.netlstorv/12668/) to the
          opposition news Web site Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz.
          Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, freelance
          Imprisoned: June 19, 2009
          Amouee, a contributor to reformist newspapers such as Mi / ian, 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, 2009, 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. His wife told
          ( http://www.roozonline.com/persian/news/newsitem/article/1 07/-d8238360c4.html) Rooz Online in February that Amouee
          had 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://www.roozonline.com/persian/news/newsitem/article
          / 107/-365c4841f9.html) to Rooz Online. He was furloughed in March for the Iranian New Year after posting bail equivalent
          to US$500,000, according (http://www.kaleme.com/1 388/1 2/27/kIm-I 4614) to Kalame.
          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 2009 on vague antistate accusations, according to news
          reports. He was sentenced to six years in prison on November 3, 2009, although the exact
          charges against him were not disclosed. Nourbakhsh was furloughed in March for the Iranian
          New Year on unspecified bail, according to Reporters and Human Rights Activists
          ( http://www.rhairan.info/archives/5876 )
          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 ) .
          Jalalifar, Kalanaki, and several other members of Committee of Human Rights Reporters have
          been under pressure to confess to ties with the Mojahedeen-e Khalgh, an armed opposition
          group outside Iran, according (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/9075/) to Jonbesh-e Rah-e
          Feminist
          School
          Facebook
          *
          Saeed Jalafifar
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          (CHRR) 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 Goudarzi and Mehrdad Rahimi, have been charged with heresy, or moharebeh—a 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://www.chrr.us/spip.php?article7803) to the committee's Web site. The
          two were furloughed in March for the Iranian New Year after posting bail equivalent to
          us$1 oo,ooo apiece, according (http:llhra-news.orq/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 Web site and the news Web site Kalame (http:I/www.kaleme.comt1388112
          I2OIkIm-13868) .
          On April 28, the Committee of Human Rights Reporters said (http://chrr.us/spip.php?article9479) that Kalanaki, Jalalifar
          and several other members of the committee were summoned to an BÀn Prison court to be informed of their charges.
          Kalanaki was accused of “propagation against the regime to serve the interests of opposition groups,” and “insulting the
          supreme leader.” Jalalifar faces charges of “propagation against the regime,” and “congregation and mutiny with aim to
          disrupt national security.”
          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/node/6632 )
          an online student news site critical of the Iranian government.
          No formal charges have been disclosed against Haeri. He was furloughed in March for the Iranian
          New Year after posting bail equivalent to Us$100,000, according (http://www.kaleme.com/1388/12
          / 20/klm-13868) to Kalame. According to an April 28 Committee of Human Rights Reporters article
          ( http:/lchrr.us/spip.php?article9479) , Haeri and several other members of the committee were
          summoned to an BÀn Prison court to be informed of their charges. Haeri was accused of
          “propagation against the regime,” and “congregation and mutiny with intent to disrupt national security.”
          Arvin Sedaghat Kish, Farhang va A hang
          Imprisoned: December 27, 2009
          Sedag hat Kish, a writer for the culture and arts 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://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2010/01/100117 _ u01 -
          117-atashi.shtml)to the BBC Persian service. No formal charges have been disclosed. Sedaghat Kish was furloughed in
          March for the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail, according (http://mizankhabar.net/index.php?option=com content&
          view=article&id=510: I 388-12-19-09-39-56&catid=43:2010-01 - 09-1 5-51 - 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, the
          Saeed Kalanaki (CHRR)
          CHRR
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          RSF site reported (http://www.rahesabz.netlstory/6594/) . 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 in March for the Iranian New Year on
          unspecified bail, according (http:I lzamaaneh.com lnews l20 lO lO3 lpost 12392.html) to Radio Zamaneh.
          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.
          He formally charged with membership in the opposition Nehzat-e Azadi Party, but conservative newspapers and Web
          sites have also accused him of being affiliated with separatist organizations, according to Mizan News. Mehregan was
          furloughed in March for the Iranian New Year after posting bail equivalent to US$100,000, according
          ( http:llwww.schrr.net/spip.php?article8700) to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
          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:/Ifarhanqqoftego.com
          / index.php?optioncom content&vievr—article&id=787:2010-02-O'1-08-05-08&
          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.
          RAHANA Defense attorneys were obstructed in their initial efforts to confer with Montazeri and
          review his file, the journalist's sister told (http:Ilwww.radiofarda.comlcontent
          1f35 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:llwww.rahesabz.netlstory/7244/) 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://schrr.net
          / spip.php?article8654) the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
          News reports said Montazeri was furloughed in April on unspecified bail.
          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 (http: / /www.kaleme.org/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.
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          Iran remains world's worstjailer of'journalists - Committee to Protect Jo... http://cpj .org/20 10/05/iran-remains-worlds-worst-jailer-of-journalists.pl ,
          Facebook Rahimi told his family that interrogators said he would be charged with the capital crime,
          moharebeh, 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 J4
          ( http:llchrr.us/spip.php?article8542) Rahimi has been under pressure to make a confession. Rahimi was was furloughed
          in March for the Iranian New Year on bail equivalent to US$100,000, according (http://www.kaleme.com/1388l12/20lklm-
          13868) to Kalame.
          Mehraneh Atashi, freelance
          Imprisoned: January II, 2010
          Atashi, a freelance photographer, and her husband were arrested at their home, according
          ( http://www.radiofarda.com/archive/news/201 00118/1 43/143.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
          Hamshahri Javan, according to (Kalame  0/28/klm-8659 Web site,
          and her work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe. Information about her
          husband has not been disclosed, nor has any information concerning charges against either of
          them. Atashi was furloughed in March for the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail, according
          ( http:/lwww.feministschool.com/spip.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 in March for the
          Iranian New Year after posting bail equivalent to US$90,000, according (http://www.rahesabz.net
          / storv/12041/) to Jonbesh-e Rah-e Sabz Web site.
          One of the youngest imprisoned journalists at 22, Jafari is a reporter with Etemad's arts and
          culture section. According to (http://www.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 in March for the Iranian New Year under a
          custodial arrangement, according (http:l/www.schrr.netlspip.php?article8 l2l) to the Committee
          of Human Rights Reporters.
          Naeemeh Doostdar, Jam-e-Jam
          Facebook photo
          Nooshin Jafari, Etemad
          Imprisoned: February 3, 2010
          RAHANA
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          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 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://www.roozonline.corn/persian/news/newsitern/article/2010/february/I 6/-6b025a69e1 . htrnl) Rooz
          Onl ine.
          The Web site of Reporters and Human Rights Activists, an organization that covers human rights abuses inside Iran,
          reported (http://www.rhairan.net/archives/3657) that no formal charges against Doostdar have been disclosed. Doostdar
          was furloughed in March for the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail.
          Akbar Montajebi, Etemad
          Imprisoned: February 7, 2010
          Montajebi is an experienced journalist working most recently for the opposition daily
          Etemad. He has also written for numerous reformist and opposition publications,
          including Sobh-e Emruz and Shargh.
          Montajebi was arrested at 2 am. at his home, according to
          ( http:l/www.irangreenvoice.corn/content/I 058) the reformist Web site Nedaye Sabz
          Azadi. In an interview with Rooz Online, his wife expressed concern
          ( http://www.roozonline.com/pe rsian/news/newsite rn/article/I 07/-a9a400eeI a.htrnl )
          about Montajebi's detention. The journalist's wife has multiple sclerosis, and she said
          her condition has worsened since her husband's arrest. Montajebi was furloughed in
          March 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 (http:llhra-news.orq/news/ 1275 1.aspx)to Reporters and Human Rights Activists. Momeni
          had previously worked as a reporter for the ISNA news agency, reported (http://www.iranqreenvoice.corn/content/ 1058 )
          Nedaye Sabz e Azadi, a pro-opposition news Web site. No formal charges have been disclosed. Momeni was
          furloughed in March for the Iranian New Year on unspecified bail.
          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.iranhurnanriqhts.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 was in Ward 240 of Evin Prison.
          Pourostad served on the editorial boards of Mosharekat, Yas-e No, and Vaghayc Ettefaghieh
          Facebook newspapers and wrote for reformist newspapers Etemad e Me//i, Mosharekat, Sa/am, and
          Farhikhtegan, according to another news item (http://www.iranhurnanri qhts.org/20 I0/02/vahid-
          poorostad-possiblity-of-release/) by the human rights group.
          Facebook
          Vahid Pourostad, freelance
          Imprisoned: February 9, 2010
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          Pourostad is the author and producer of a book series related to legal documents pertaining to the Iranian press. He
          was furloughed in March for the Iranian New Year under a custodial arrangement, according to the BBC.
          May 6, 2010 10:15 AM El I Permalink (http://cpj.org/201 O/05/iran-remains-worlds-worst-jailer-of-journalists.php )
          20 of2O 03/08 2010 14:01
        

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