Twitter
Facebook
Email Lists
Donate
On the one-year anniversary of Even during ordinary times, journalists who are simply doing their professional duties can face punishment, including imprisonment. Since the June 2009 presidential election, this risk has become much greater. Several journalists have had to flee the country; many others who remained have been detained. They commonly face accusations such as “endangering national security,” “propagating against Islam” or the regime, or “espionage.” Those who have had links to the Western media have come under particularly high scrutiny.
More on this issue
• CPJ survey:
37 journalists jailed
• CPJ cites
cruel treatment
• Video Report:
Imprisoned in Iran
Security agents have summoned many journalists to tell them they are being monitored and should be careful. Sometimes the agents ask the journalists about their work and connections; they have also told photographers to share photographs from opposition demonstrations. Some journalists succumb to these pressures. As one told me, “You have to in order to survive.” Some of those who have resisted have been arrested, particularly when the authorities want to make an example of someone and scare his or her colleagues into silence.
Detainees
are often considered guilty to begin with and are denied basic rights to due
process. They tend to be held in solitary confinement for an extended period,
cut off from the outside world, and denied legal counsel.
The
only crime committed by such journalists has been to speak about and show what
they see around them. Their work has enriched people’s knowledge and awareness
about the realities inside
We
can do our part by signing petitions, bringing attention to the plight of journalists in
Roxana Saberi is a freelance
American journalist who was detained for 100 days in 2009 in
Print
Share
Delicious
Digg
Google
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Subscribe
As we specifically see in the case of journalists, there are no lack of human rights violations in Iran. I find the medieval forms of justice and punishment in Iran especially shocking. Stoning executions in general and the Ashtiani case in particular struck such a nerve in me that I wrote the following article: http://rightlegalhelp.net/blog/modern-day-human-sacrifice-iran Unfortunately, even though she may not be stoned, she is still scheduled for execution. I hope that sufficient international exposure concerning her case will compel the Iranian government to release her.