Source: RadioFarda (RFE/RL)
Three prominent Tehran-based journalists — Saeedeh Shafiei, Mehrnoush Zarei, and Nasim Soltanbeigi — have been summoned separately to Evin’s Moghaddasi Courthouse on charges that their reporting produced “propaganda against the system.”
The activist HRANA news agency reported on April 27 that the journalists received separate summonses asking them to appear within five days to present their defense against the charges at the Evin Courthouse.
The summonses come amid increased scrutiny of media professionals in the country, as the authorities attempt to tighten control over the dissemination of information amid widespread protests on issues ranging from living conditions, wages, and a lack of rights and freedoms.
A report by the Tehran Journalists’ Association showed that since the nationwide protests intensified following the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged head scarf violation, some 70 journalists have been arrested and several others summoned to appear in court.
In the cases against Shafiei, Zarei, and Soltanbeigi, the government has cited their articles and writing as evidence of producing “propaganda against the system.” They deny the charges.
Soltanbeigi was first arrested last December at Tehran’s Khomeini International Airport while attempting to travel abroad. After being detained for over a month, she was temporarily released on bail on February 7 until the end of the legal proceedings.
Soltanbeigi was a student activist in the 2000s and has been working as a journalist for various Iranian publications in recent years.
She was held for eight days in 2006 for attending a “Women for Change” rally before a court sentenced her to a suspended sentence of five years. She was placed on probation for two years and told that her sentence would be cancelled if she did not violate the terms of her probation.
Zarei, a veteran Iranian journalist, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on January 22. She was subsequently transferred to the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence detention center. Like Soltanbeigi, Zarei was released on bail in late February.
Similarly, Shafiei was arrested by security forces in Tehran on January 22. She was temporarily released on bail of 5 billion Iranian rials (approximately $9500) on February 8 until the end of the legal proceedings.
The new summons come amid unprecedented shows of defiance by women and schoolgirls in what appears to be the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
Amini died just days after being detained by Tehran’s notorious morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict female dress code. Authorities have blamed “underlying diseases” for the cause of death, but supporters and family members say Amini was beaten while in custody.
The protests have seen more than 500 people killed and thousands detained, according to human rights groups. Despite government warnings that the crackdown will intensify, Iranians continue to take to the streets.
Several thousand others have been arrested since Amini’s death, including many protesters, lawyers, activists, and digital rights defenders.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda
