New York, July 31, 2009–Iran’s official news agency claimed that a prominent filmmaker arrested Thursday has been released, but there is no independent confirmation. Two other documentarians detained at the same time remain in custody, according to international news reports.
New York, July 30, 2009–After more than a month of detention, several journalists may face trial beginning on Saturday on charges of “sending pictures to enemy media.” Three documentary filmmakers were arrested today, bringing the total of journalists currently held in Iranian jails to 42, the highest count in the world.
New York, July 29, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists rejects the alleged confessions by two detained Iranian photographers held incommunicado in Iran since their arrests earlier this month. The two allegedly confessed to sending pictures to the “enemy” following the country’s disputed June 12 presidential elections, according to the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA).
New York, July 22, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists has confirmed the detentions of another four journalists in Iran. CPJ research shows the continuing arrests have solidified Iran’s dishonorable standing as the world’s leading jailer of journalists.
Among the dozens of journalists detained in Iran is Majid Saeedi, a freelance photographer working for Getty Images. Jonathan Klein, the photo agency’s co-founder and CEO, describes Saeedi as a “dedicated photojournalist” who was simply trying to document events in Iran. Below are examples of Saeedi’s work, courtesy of Getty.
New York, July, 17, 2009– During a speech and sermon delivered at Tehran University today, former president and cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called for reconciliation, the release of imprisoned protesters, and an end to restrictions on the press and free speech. The Committee to Protect Journalists had this statement:
My friend and colleague Iason Athanasiadis spent three weeks in an Iranian prison last month. In the ongoing roundups of journalists since the June 12 election, Iason has seen his own friends and colleagues thrown in jail, including Majid Saeedi, a freelance photographer for Getty Images.
More than 100 prominent journalists from 47 countries sent a petition to the Iranian government today calling for the immediate release of Maziar Bahari, Newsweek’s Tehran correspondent, who has been held without charge in an Iranian jail since June 21. Compiled by CPJ, Index on Censorship, and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, the petition was…