News

Today The Gleaner continues its focus on journalists who have had the right to free speech taken from them, journalists who have paid the ultimate price. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, up to December 1, 136 journalists were sitting in jail cells worldwide and 68 had been killed in 2009. China, Iran and Cuba recorded the highest number of journalists in prison. We will continue to highlight those who have had their rights denied, with the second tranche of imprisoned Iranian journalists.

Ahmad Zaid-Abadi, freelance

Imprisoned: Mid-June 2009

Zaid-Abadi was among more than 100 opposition figures and journalists who faced a mass, televised judicial proceeding in August on vague anti-state accusations.

In November, he was sentenced to six years in prison, five years of exile in Gonabad, Razavi Khorasan province, and a lifetime deprivation of social and political activities, according to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.

Omid Salimi, Nesf e Jehan

Imprisoned: June 14, 2009

Salimi, a photographer who worked for Nesf e Jehan newspaper in Esfahan, was arrested after being summoned by Revolutionary Guards to pick up belongings confiscated during an earlier arrest, according to Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran, a local human rights watchdog. Salimi had been detained in December 2008 and had spent three months in prison on unspecified charges.

After his most recent arrest, Salimi was transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran, according to the Iranian Human Rights Activists New Agency. No formal charges had been disclosed by late year.

Kayvan Samimi, Nameh

Imprisoned: June 14, 2009

Samimi, manager of the now-defunct monthly Nameh , was being held in Evin Prison after his arrest in Tehran, according to news reports.

His lawyer, Nasrin Sotoodeh, said in mid-October that authorities refused a request to see the case file, according to Mowjcamp, a news website supportive of the reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Samimi called his family in October to tell them that he was under pressure to make a false confession, his lawyer told Rooz Online.

Samimi was charged with "creating public anxiety" and "congregation and mutiny to disrupt national security", his lawyer told Zamaneh Radio. The first session of his trial was held on November 23, but no verdict was immediately announced, according to news accounts.

Saeed Laylaz, Sarmayeh

Imprisoned: June 17, 2009

Laylaz, editor of the daily business journal Sarmayeh and a vocal critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic policies, was arrested at home on June 17.

Laylaz was among more than 100 opposition figures and journalists who faced a mass, televised judicial proceeding in August on vague anti-state accusations.

He spent 100 days in solitary confinement at Tehran's Evin Prison before being moved to a group cell.

Laylaz was charged with "congregation and mutiny against national security, propagation against the regime, disrupting public order and keeping classified documents", according to Mowjcamp, a news website supportive of the defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

After a two-hour trial in November, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, freelance

Imprisoned: June 19, 2009

Amouee, a contributor to several reformist newspapers including Mihan , Hamshahri , Jame'e , Khordad , Norooz , and Sharq , and the author of an eponymous blog, was arrested with his wife, Zhila Bani-Yaghoub, according to news reports. Bani-Yaghoub was later released on bail.

Farideh Ghayrat, his lawyer, told the Gooya news website that her client was arrested without a warrant and that no charges had been filed against him.

Issa Sahar-Khiz, freelance

Imprisoned: July 3, 2009

Sahar-Khiz, a columnist for the reformist news websites Rooz Online and Norooz, and a founding member of the Association of Iranian Journalists, was arrested while travelling in northern Iran, the association said in a statement.

His son, Mahdi, told the news website Rooz Online in mid-September that the family had met with the journalist in the presence of prison officials. Sahar-Khiz told family members that he had access to television and was allowed to walk outside his cell for exercise. Sahar-Khiz's lawyer said that his client was being charged with "participation in riots", "encouraging others to participate in riots", and "insulting the supreme leader", according to Rooz Online.

Massoud Bastani, Farhikhtegan and Jomhoriyat

Imprisoned: July 5, 2009

Bastani, a journalist for the reformist newspaper Farihikhtegan and Jomhoriyat, a news website affiliated with the defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, was arrested when he went to a Tehran court seeking information about his wife, journalist Mehsa Amrabadi, according to local news reports. Amrabadi, arrested along with two other journalists on June 15, was released on August 25.

Bastani was among more than 100 opposition figures and journalists who faced a mass, televised judicial proceeding in August.

On October 20, the news website Norooz reported that a court had sentenced Bastani to six years in prison for "propagating against the regime, and congregating and mutinying to create anarchy".

Marjan Abdollahian, Hamshahri

Imprisoned: July 9, 2009

The BBC Persian service and other news outlets reported that authorities had detained Abdol-lahian, a photo editor for the Tehran-based Hamshahri newspaper. Six days after her arrest, she called her family to inform them that she was being held in Evin Prison, according to the news website Rooz Online. No formal charges had been disclosed by late year.

Saeed Matin-Pour, Yar Pag and Mouj Bidari

Imprisoned: July 12, 2009

A revolutionary court in Tehran convicted Matin-Pour of having "relations with foreigners and propagating against the regime", according to local news reports. He was sentenced to an eight-year prison term.

Matin-Pour was first arrested in May 2007 and released on bail. He was again arrested in 2009 amid the government's crackdown on the press. Matin-Pour was suffering from heart and respiratory problems, and his family was not immediately able to secure a medical release for examination outside prison, according to the news website Advarnews.

Fariba Pajooh, freelance

Imprisoned: August 2009

Pajooh was arrested in mid-August, according to the Iran Human Rights Center. On Sep-tember 7, she contacted her family to tell them she was being held at Evin Prison in Tehran, the organisation reported.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a local watchdog, reported on October 12 that the journalist had been under constant interrogation for weeks. It was also reported that she was charged with "propagating against the regime" and had been pressured to make a false confession.

Reza Nourbakhsh, Farhikhtegan

Imprisoned: August 4, 2009

Authorities took Nourbakhsh, editor-in-chief of the reformist newspaper Farhikhtegan , into custody after searching his home, according to news reports.

Nourbakhsh was also among the more than 100 opposition figures and journalists who faced a mass, televised judicial proceeding in August.

He was sentenced to six years in prison on November 3, although the exact charges against him were not immediately disclosed.

Mohammad Davari, Saham News

Imprisoned: September 5, 2009

Saham News, a website affiliated with presidential candidate Mahdi Karroubi, reported that its editor-in-chief, Davari, had been detained. Seventeen days after his arrest, the journalist was allowed to contact his family, according to the Tahavolkhani news website. His mother said he was being held at Tehran's, Evin Prison.

Davari was brought to trial on November 22 on charges of propagation against the regime, congregation and mutiny for disrupting national security, and creating chaos in public order.

In the weeks after the election, Davari had videotaped the testimony of inmates at Kahrizak Detention Center who alleged they had been raped and abused while in custody, according to the Free Iranian Journalists blog.

Negar Sayeh, freelance

Imprisoned: October 2009

Sayeh was arrested in October, according to Norooz, a news website affiliated with reformist presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

Her arrest came after her husband, Saeed Ghoreishi, was arrested along with dozens of people at a gathering to express solidarity with an imprisoned reformist, Norooz reported.

He was released on November 24. No formal charges against Sayeh had been disclosed by late year.

Sayeh's blog entries were deleted. Her mother told the Committee ofHuman Rights Reporters that she met with prosecutors to object to the detention and the lack of information about the case. They said her daughter "had a personal blog where she wrote critical statements against authorities", the committee said.

Javad Mahzadeh, freelance

Imprisoned: October 22, 2009

Mahzadeh, a journalist and novelist, was arrested on his way to work on the orders of the Revolutionary Court's prosecutor's office, according to local news reports.

Authorities confiscated a computer from his home, according to news reports. No formal charges had been disclosed by late year.

Nafiseh Zare Kohan, freelance

Imprisoned: November 4, 2009

Kohan wrote political commentary on her blog Roozmaregiha and contributed articles to Rooz Online, a Farsi- and English-language refor-mist news website. She was arrested along with her husband, Hojjat Sharifi, an activist with a university student association.

After her original blog, Rooz-maregiha, was blocked by the government, she started a new one, Roozmaregiha2, in 2008.

Kohan and her husband were transferred to an undisclosed facility. She was allowed to contact her sister once for a few minutes, according to the reformist news website Mowj-e Sabz. No formal charges had been disclosed by late year.

Hasan Asadi Zeidabadi, freelance

Imprisoned: November 4, 2009

The news website Bamdad Khabar reported that Zeidabadi's wife was allowed to visit him briefly at Evin Prison in mid-November. He told his wife he was being kept in solitary confinement. She said he had been charged, but she could not disclose the details.

Zeidabadi is also a member of Advar Tahkim Vahdat, a politically active alumni organisation that has been vocal in condemning recent government actions.

Mazdak Ali Nazari, Nasim Haraz Monthly and Journalism for Peace

Imprisoned: November 2009

Nazari, who won the Iranian Journalists Association's Best Journalist Award in 2007, was arrested at his home some time in the second week of November, according to news accounts and human rights groups.

Nazari was editor of Nasim Haraz Monthly , a cultural magazine, and editor-in-chief of Journalism for Peace, a critical website focusing on human rights. He is also author of the blog Zemzemeh Haye Divaneh. Nazari told his family about his arrest in a brief telephone call, but was unable to relay details, including his whereabouts, according to Rooz Online.

Nazari had also worked for Etemad e Melli, the newspaper owned by defeated presidential candidate, Mahdi Karroubi.

Sassan Aghaee, freelance

Imprisoned: November 22, 2009

Security forces raided the home of Aghaee, a seasoned journalist who contributed to a number of news-papers, including Farhikhtegan , Etemad , Tose'eh , Mardom Salari , and Etemad e Melli . He was also author of the blog Free Tribune.

Aghaee was being held at Evin Prison, according to news accounts. No formal charges had been disclosed by late year. In a letter, the journalist asked to be opened in case of his arrest, Aghaee said any confessions he might make in custody should be disregarded as coerced, according to the reformist website Jaras.

Look out for more Woes of Journalism in the days to come.