ASJA Condemns Arrest of Journalists and Media Activists in Iran
For Immediate Release
Contact: James Brannigan, asjaoffice@asja.org, ASJA
NEW YORK (October 26, 2022): The American Society of Journalists and Authors condemns the human rights abuses the Islamic Republic of Iran has inflicted on the Iranian people, including the arrests of numerous journalists and media activists in an effort to suppress news.
Freedom of expression is a basic human right, as is the freedom to report on that expression. The journalists and media activists in Iran have bravely fulfilled their professional duties in service of their people. To silence journalists is to suppress free expression and a free press. Iranian journalists must be allowed to report on the actions of the regime in Iran without fear of suppression, arrest, or death.
ASJA calls for the release of journalists and media activists currently detained and the dropping of any and all invalid charges against journalists and others, including Hossein Ronaghi, Navid Jamshidi, Siavash Soleimani, Safieh Gharabaghi, and Niloufar Hamedi, who broke the news of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini’s death.
No journalist or media activist should be arrested or charged for fulfilling their duty to the people. ASJA stands in solidarity with every journalist and media activist imprisoned in Iran and will continue to monitor the situation.
For background on this issue, please see:
Hafezi, Parisa, “Iranian journalist who broke news on Mahsa Animi pays heavy price,” Reuters, October 11, 2022
Parent, Deepa, “’I write what they tell me to’: Iran’s crackdown on journalists intensifies,” The Guardian, October 16, 2022
The Editorial Board. “Journal Contributor Hossein Ronaghi Suffers in Iran,” The Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2022
Dehghanpisheh, Babak, “First, Iran came for a rights activist. Then for his family and friends.” Washington Post, October 7, 2022
Moshtaghian, Artemis. “More than a thousand protesters have been arrested in Iran. Here are three of their stories.” CNN, October 13, 2022