Iran / Middle East & North Africa

  
A fishmonger pictured at a bazaar in the Iranian city of Rasht, in March 2011. In 2018, Turkey extradited a journalist from Rasht whom authorities later sentenced to 10 years in prison for his work. (AFP/Behrouz Mehri)

Journalist extradited from Turkey and sentenced to 10 years in Iran

Turkish intelligence agents arrested Arash Shoa-Shargh, an Iranian journalist living in exile in Turkey, on January 5, 2018, in Van, a city near Iran’s border, a friend of the journalist, who asked not to be named to protect their safety, told CPJ on December 16, 2019.

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Iranian journalist Pouyan Khoshhal, pictured, fled his home country after being detained for over two months and later sentenced to six years in prison over a single word. (Pouyan Khoshhal)

Iranian journalist imprisoned, fired, and forced into exile over a single word

In October 2018, authorities arrested Pouyan Khoshhal as he drove through the northern Iranian city of Rasht, by the Caspian Sea. The reason for the journalist’s arrest: his use of the word “death” instead of “martyrdom” to describe a Shiite saint in an article for the reformist newspaper Ebtekar.

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People walk past a building that was burned during recent protests in Shahriar, Iran, on November 20, 2019. Journalist Mohammad Mosaed was recently arrested after tweeting during an internet shutdown imposed amid the protests. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian authorities arrest journalist Mohammad Mosaed for tweets amid internet shutdown

Washington, D.C., November 25, 2019 — Iranian authorities should immediately release journalist Mohammad Mosaed and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Smoke rises during a protest in Isfahan, Iran, on November 16, 2019. Iranian authorities have cut internet access nationwide amid the protests. (AP Photo)

Iranian government cuts internet access nationwide amid protests

Washington, D.C., November 20, 2019 — Iranian authorities should immediately restore internet access throughout the country and allow information to flow freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The Shargh Daily newspaper is seen in Tehran on July 10, 2019. A political columnist at the paper and another local journalist were recently sentenced to jailtime on propaganda charges. (Reuters/Nazanin Tabatabaee/West Asia News Agency)

Iranian court sentences 2 journalists to jail on propaganda charges

In October 2019, the Tehran Appeals Court sentenced Pouria Alami, a political columnist and satirist with the reformist Shargh Daily, to one year in prison and Tahereh Riahi, the former social affairs editor of the government-funded Borna News Agency, to two and a half years in prison, according to news reports and a person close…

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Downtown Tehran, Iran, is seen on July 10, 2019. Iranian authorities recently arrested exiled journalist Roohollah Zam. (WANA/Nazanin Tabatabaee via Reuters)

Iranian journalist in exile arrested, gives televised confession in Iran

On October 14, 2019, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested journalist and activist Roohollah Zam, manager of Amad News, a popular anti-government news channel on the messaging app Telegram, according to a statement by the guard corps that was broadcast on state media.

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10 Most Censored Countries

Repressive governments use sophisticated digital censorship and surveillance alongside more traditional methods to silence independent media. A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Published September 10, 2019 Eritrea is the world’s most censored country, according to a list compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The list is based on CPJ’s research into the…

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A newspaper stand is seen in Tehran, Iran, on July 8, 2019. Newspaper columnist Hossein Ghadyani was recently sentenced to six months in prison for an Instagram post. (AFP)

Iran sentences conservative columnist Hossein Ghadyani to 6 months in prison for Instagram post

Washington, D.C., September 6, 2019 — Iranian authorities should release journalist Hossein Ghadyani from prison and stop jailing and harassing government critics, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Tehran, Iran, is seen on August 19, 2019. Reporter Marzieh Amiri was recently sentenced to 10.5 years in jail by a Tehran court. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Iran sentences journalist Marzieh Amiri to 10.5 years in prison, 148 lashes

Washington D.C., August 26, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today strongly condemned the Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Branch 28 Court’s sentencing of Shargh Daily economics reporter Marzieh Amiri to 10 and a half years in prison and 148 lashes.

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Iranian soccer players are seen in the United Arab Emirates on January 24, 2019. Photojournalist Forough Alaei was recently detained for 5 days over her coverage of women's access to soccer stadiums in Iran. (Reuters/Suhaib Salem)

Iranian photojournalist Forough Alaei detained for 5 days over soccer stadium coverage

On August 12, 2019, intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested freelance photojournalist Forough Alaei and five women’s rights activists, accusing them of attempting to illegally enter Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, according to a report by the BBC’s Persian service. The six were released on bail on August 17, according to Iranian press freedom…

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