'Crackdown on Iranian media continues'

GVF -- Reporters Without Borders says that “although a number of journalists and netizens have been freed in the past few days, the crackdown on media and journalists is continuing.”

“The daily Etemad was suspended on 1 March and the weekly Iran Dokht’s licence has been cancelled. At the same time, journalists continue to be arrested in Tehran and many others throughout the country have received summonses,” the group adds.

“Journalists held by the intelligence ministry are being subjected to considerable pressure to publicly ask the Revolution’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, for forgiveness.”

RSF cites Iran’s prosecutor-general, as saying last week that “repentance” was “one of the conditions” for the release of political prisoners.

“Why must these journalists offer apologies when all they did was inform their fellow citizens?” the press freedom organisation added. “After arresting 110 journalists and censoring at least 20 media in the past eight months, it is the government that should request the forgiveness of its victims when it releases them.”

Iran Dokht’s licence was cancelled on the orders of the Press Surveillance Commission, an offshoot of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, for “non-compliance with the press law,” the same reason that the ministry has given for closing many pro-reform publications in the past.

RSF, a group promoting freedom of the press also mentioned that Akbar Montajabi, an Iran Dokht journalist who was arrested on 7 February, was still being held.

It acknowledged the release of journalists on 1 March: Mohammad Reza Moghiseh, Mahsa Jazini, Foad Sadeghi and Kivan Mehrgan.