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Iason Athanasiadis is still a young man at 30, but he's an
old school, shoe leather journalist. "Journalism's
deepest, most honest contributions inevitably spring from on-the-ground
reporting, unencumbered by policy agendas in
Athanasiadis is the kind of
photographer whose images illuminate people in unforgettable ways. One image, taken
in Iran and posted in a slideshow
of his work on Salon, shows a young girl in baby
blue sweater and ski cap amid a sea of black-clad women during a celebration of
the martyrdom of Shiite Islam's first Imam. Another captures two young men
sitting in the stands at a soccer match, each wearing a headband with the
green, white, and red colors of
Iason, as he is known to his colleagues and friends, learns
about a place and its culture before going to work. "A year spent living in
Like many freelancers, the young journalist writes as well
as photographs. And he isn't afraid to put context and perspective into his copy.
"
Born in
On Monday, the head of the Greek Orthodox church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spoke on
behalf of Athanasiadis, calling
him "a member of the Orthodox church." The patriarch sent the metropolitan emmanuel of
Athanasiadis sent
an e-mail to his girlfriend hours before he left for the airport, which she
shared with CPJ shortly after he was detained.
"It's my last day,"
he wrote on June 17. "When will I be back? Who knows? I love this country so much."
CPJ continues to
work for the release of Iason Athanasiadis along with other
journalists--both
Iranian and foreign correspondents--detained since June 12 in
Editor's note: The original version of this entry was modified to correct Sandy Tolan's affiliation.
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A Greek acquaintance here was almost amused at my concern for Iason. "He knows such things are part of his chosen profession. He will come out of this even better at his craft." Yes. well... maybe. My thoughts darted to the qualities another Iason shared with the most famous Odysseus - courage and wit in sticky situations, so long as the right gods are in the right mood - 'metis' referring to craft or nous, and to the goddess of wisdom and prudence - η Μήτις - yet, in French, meaning 'of mixed race' as in the Métis or mestizo. That's Iason Athanasiades. We think of him daily and ask the leaders of who detain him to note his eloquent love for Iran.
Thank you for this 'update' which unfortunately only confirms that Iason is still held and we don't know under what charges. I check daily to see if there is any encouraging news and will continue to do so.
alicia from Athens
kredyt w euro