Iran Special: The List of the 100+ Journalists Detained Since the 2009 Elections --- Part 2 (Alinejad/Irani)

Since the disputed June 2009 Presidential Election, EA has periodically featured the names of journalists on Arshama3's Blog --- a list which is up to 70 entries.

Now another record of those reporters who have been imprisoned --- or who are free on heavy bail but always threatened with a summons back to detention --- has been compiled by Masih Alinejad and translated into English by Azita Irani. There is also the note of at least one journalist who was slain during the initial demonstrations after the election.

We will be presenting the more than 100 entries on a rolling basis over the following weeks. And we will endeavour, with the help of Arshama3 and Alinejad, to keep the list up to date.

See The List of the 100+ Journalists Detained Since the 2009 Elections --- Part 1

25. Hadi Haidari

Haidari --- a prominent, cartoonist, member of the Islamic Coalition Front and the Art Director of Etemade Melli newspaper --- was arrested on 22 October 2009 in a raid on an ICF member’s house during a prayer ceremony. He was released on bail but re-arrested on 19 December 2010.

Haidari is not the first cartoonist arrested for his work --- others jailed by the Islamic Republic include Hasan Karimzadeh, Touka Neyestani, Davoud Ahmadi Mounes, Nikahang Kowsar, Mana Nayestani, and Behzad Bashou.

26. Badrolsadat Mofidi

Mofidi, the head of the Iranian Journalists Union, was arrested on 28 December 2009, along with her husband Massoud Aghaii. Her husband was released after 52 days, but Mofidi remained in difficult conditions in Evin Prison where she developed a heart ailment amidst continued pressures from her interrogators. After 134 days, Mofidi's mother wrote a letter to Tehran’s Prosecutor General, complaining about the continued ill treatment of her daughter and demanding her immediate release from prison.

Badrolsadat Mofidi has a record of criticising conservatives in Iran and an extensive background in work with a number of reformist newspapers.

27. Fariba Pajooh

Pajooh, a young journalist and blogger, was arrested in her father’s house in August 2009. A reporter with several newspapers, including the Iranian Labor News Agency and Etemade Melli, she was abused in prison. Her family repeatedly complained to the media about her condition, but she was denied visits for more than 100 days.

Pajooh is currently free on bail.

28. Mohammad-Reza Nourbakhsh

Nourbakhsh, arrested on 4 August 2009 was the editor of Farhikhtegan newspaper and the managing director of the Jomhouriat website. He was a defendant in the Tehran “Show Trials” weeks later. He has been released on bail, with his initial six-year sentence reduced on appeal to three years.

29. Kayvan Mehregan

Mehregan was arrested on 28 December 2009, the day after the mass opposition rallies on the religious day of Ashura.

After many days without news, Mehregan's brother wrote a letter to the head of judiciary, Sadegh Larijani demanding information of his brother’s whereabouts and an investigation into his case. After two months, Mehregan was released on $100,000 bail. He was later sentenced to three years in prison.

Mehregan was re-arrested on 7 December 2010 and sent back to Evin Prison. He was freed again on bail six weeks later.

30. Omid Mehregan

Mehregan was arrested on 4 February 2010 at his house and sent to Evin Prison. In a 2-hour search of his home, security forces confiscated many of his personal belongings. He was released in early March.

Mehregan has worked for the reformist newspaper Shargh, and many of his articles, translations, and literary documents are published on the website Rokhdad.

31. Houtan Abolfathi

Abolfathi, a member of Artists Association in Support of Mir Hossein Mousavi, was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence and arrested on 22 November 2009. He worked for Chelcheragh, a popular publication among younger readers.

32. Sam Mahmoudi Sarabi

Sarabi, who worked at the Department of Culture and Education, was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence, arrested, and sent to Evin Prison on 1 March 2011.

Sarabi has worked at the newspapers Shargh, Kayhan, Etela’aa, Hamshahri, Hayaat-e No, Raah-e Mardom, Azad, Asraar, Hambastegi, and Etemaad, as well as weekly newsletters such as Book-of-the-Week, The Seventh Look, Falsafeh, and Ensaaf.

Sarabi was previously arrested after the Ashura demonstrations of December 2010 and released more than a month later on $300,000 bail.

As with many other prisoners, Sarabi's family was kept in the dark about his whereabouts for some time after his arrest, amidst reports that he was in a serious physical and psychological condition.

33. Hasan Zohouri

Hasan Zohouri, staff reporter at the Cultural Heritage Center, was arrested and sent to Evin Prison on 8 February 2010.

In 2009 Zohouri was named “Reporter of the Year” by Pasargad Heritage Foundation for his documentary reports on the volatile situation of Iran’s cultural heritage. He was not politically involved, but he was arrested in the middle of the night at his home and his computer and books were confiscated. He was temporarily released on 21 February 2010 but returned to prison on 17 April 2011 to continue his six-month jail term.

More to come....