In celebration of World Press Freedom Day
Violations of Right of Free
Press In Iran
Trnslation of the Summary of the
annual report from IHRAG
On the occasion of International Press Day on May 3, Iranian
Human Rights Activist Groups in Europe & North America has prepared a
report regarding press condition in Iran in the past Iranian calender year of
1384 (March 21, 2005 to March 20, 2006).
It should be noted that due to restrictions imposed human
rights organizations and other NGO’s, in addition to press censureship in Iran,
this report can not encompass all violations to the right of free press, but
only to portray a very small section of the whole picture.
A short summary of these violations are:
1- Detention of journalists 14
cases
2- Interogation of journlists 28
cases
3- Summoning to
security organizations and courts 59
cases
4- Court hearings
held
56 cases
5- Sentences issued 25
cases
6- Beating of
journalists 3 cases
7- Journalists
Expelled 54 cases
8- Journals banned 13 cases
9- Websites closed 7 cases
10- Total monetary fine 52,500,000.00 Rls
11- Confiscation of properties 1 case
12- Barred from leaving the Country 2 cases
13- Whipping sentence executed 52 lashes
14- Banned from journalistic activities 10years and 6 months
15- Prison sentences issued 13 years and 3 months
The alarming violations of the rights of bloggers in this
report is a clear indication of government’s attemp to curb this blossoming
journalistic activity in Iran.
Of 263 cases reported, these branches of government
had the lion shares of violations:
1- Branch 76, Penal Court of Tehran Province: Judge M.R.
Saremi 52 cases
2- Branch 1083, Penal Court of Tehran Province: Judge
Hosseinian 28 cases
3- Branch 1, Revolution & Public Court, City of
Sanandaj: Judge Amjadian 18 cases
4- Ministry of Culture & Islamic Guidance (MCIG) 13 cases
5- Press Control Committee, MCIG 13 cases
6- Branch 4, Revolution & Public Court, City of Sanandaj 12 cases
7- Branch 6, Prosecutor’s Ofiice for Government Employees 8 cases
8- Iran Communication Organization 7 cases
9- Branch 5, Prosecutor’s Ofiice for Government Employees 5 cases
10- Branch 3, Prosecutor’s Ofiice for Government
Employees 3 cases
These figures show that these widespread and continuous
violations of the right of free press
are not just willful acts a few individual elements, but their planing,
organization, and execution could not have taken place without the the
approval of highest authorities of the
Islamic Republic of Iran,
Additionally, due to the fact that not only demands of Human
Rights and other international organizations to pursue the case of Zahra
Kazemi( Iranian-Canadian journalist murdered in Evin Prison in 2003) were
ignored again, but instead by imprisoninig
Abdol-Fattah Soltani, one of the attornies of her family, the government of
Islamic Republic of Iran confessed that there exist no possiblity of inevstigating
her murder in Iran.
Iranian Human Rights Activist Groups in EU
and North America (IHRAG) :
Iranian Human
Rights Activists Association, Canada - Human Rights defense committee of Iran,
Sweden - Vereinigung zur Verteidigung der Menschenrechte im Iran, Deutschland -
Stichting voor
de Verdediging van Democratie in Iran,
Nederland – Iranian – Canadian
community Association of western Canada, Vancouver - Committee to Defend Human
Rights in Iran, California, U.S.A. -Noran (supporting committee for human
rights in iran ), Norway – Activist of Human Rights- Irantestimony - Committee for defense of Liberty and Democracy in Iran – Austria ,
Aliance for Human Rights defense in Iran – Washangton, U.S.A – Association of
defender of Human Rights and democracy in Iran , France- Iranain Human Rights Activitists
group, Switzerland - Center of activists for the
defense of Human Rigts
in Iran, Belgium - Unione Per la Democrazia in Iran -
Itali
www.hriran.org
E-mail: IHRNENA@gmail.com / hiran@hiran.org
Phone: 1 - 514 – 365 9212 (Canada) or 46
-704-124-500 (Sweden)
Address: BOX
5047, 165 10 Hässelby, Sweden
Human Rights News from Iran: www.hriran.org