Press group condemns arrests of journalists in Iran
Updated: Thursday, November 05, 2009
Photographer: WashingtonTV
Journalists in Iran
18:50GMT—1:50PM/EST
Washington, 5 November (WashingtonTV)—Reporters Without Borders on Thursday condemned the continued crackdown and arrests of journalists inside Iran.
On Wednesday, Agence France-Presse correspondent, Farhad Pouladi, and journalist Nafiseh Zareh Kohan were arrested in Tehran, during demonstrations marking the 30th anniversary of the US embassy’s seizure.
And on Tuesday, Hassan Asadi Zeydabadi, a blogger who heads a student human rights committee, was arrested and taken to an unknown location.
“Journalists are still being kidnapped or arrested illegally in Iran,” the Paris-based press freedom watchdog said in a statement.
It said that at least 100 journalists and bloggers have been arrested since the 12 June presidential election, and that 23 of them are still being held.
More than 50 other journalists have since fled the country, “and those who have stayed are subject to constant harassment,” Reporters Without Borders added.
“This situation is intolerable. The international community must come to the aid of Iran’s journalists,” it said.
AFP today protested the continued detention of Pouladi, and called for his immediate release.
An official of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance told AFP today that Pouladi’s case was being reviewed, and that he would remain in custody until at least Saturday.
Iran has imposed wide-ranging restrictions on media, including bans on firsthand reporting of street demonstrations and other events not authorized by authorities.
Sources: Reporters Without Borders website, Agence France-Presse
© WashingtonTV 2009. All rights reserved.