Iran targets Telegram app as it seeks to control news ahead of May election
Iran has a history of cracking down on the independent press ahead of elections, with authorities arresting journalists and forcing reformist outlets to shut down. As Iranians prepare to vote in presidential and city council elections on May 19, authorities have turned their attention to Telegram, arresting several channel administrators for the app.
Iran frees Issa Saharkhiz then sentences him to one year in jail
New York, April 28, 2017–Iranian authorities should immediately drop all charges against freelance journalist Issa Saharkhiz, who was sentenced yesterday to one year in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The sentence was handed down the day after Saharkhiz was released from jail on a separate charge, according to the journalist’s son and…
Iranian editor, social media moderator detained
Security forces arrested Morad Saghafi from his home in Tehran on March 16, 2017, according to the official ILNA news agency, but to date have not made public any charges against him or the reason for his arrest. Saghafi is the editor of Goftegoo Magazine, which focuses on culture and social sciences. In a March…
CPJ joins call to renew mandate of Iran human rights rapporteur
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 40 human rights groups calling on the U.N. Human Rights Council to support the resolution to renew the mandate of the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. A vote on the resolution is scheduled to take place during the…
Iranian journalists arrested ahead of elections
New York, March 15, 2017–Iranian authorities should immediately release Ehsan Mazandarani, Hengameh Shahidi, and all journalists jailed for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The arrests come ahead of presidential elections scheduled for May.
Iranian editor held months without access to lawyer
Iranian security forces raided the home of Tahereh Riahi, social affairs editor at Iran’s government-funded Borna News Agency, and detained her on December 27, 2016, according to media reports and human rights groups. Two months after her arrest, the journalist was still held in Evin Prison near Tehran.
Two journalists arrested in Iran
New York, September 22, 2016 – Iranian authorities should immediately release two reformist journalists arrested in recent days and stop jailing the media for doing their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At the time of his arrest, pro-government media described Sadra Mohaqeq, the editor of the reformist newspaper Shargh Daily, as an…
Why proposed bill could mean the end of independent journalism in Iran
The Iranian government will address the United Nation’s General Assembly this month for the last time before President Hassan Rouhani seeks re-election next year. The international appearance would be a good chance for Rouhani’s administration to discuss its record in office.
Iranian journalist Issa Saharkhiz sentenced to three years in jail
New York, August 10, 2016–A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced the prominent Iranian journalist Issa Saharkhiz to three years in jail on August 8 for “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “propagating against the state,” according to his lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, and news reports.