Iranian journalist Alireza Roshan has been taken to jail to serve out a five-year sentence for “assembly and collusion aimed at disturbing national security.”
Iranian media report that Roshan, a journalist working for the Shargh daily, was transferred to Evin Prison on Saturday, November 17. He was reportedly convicted for his “collaboration with the Majzooban-e Noor website”, a site that reports on Iranian dervishes, who have become the target of a crackdown by Islamic Republic authorities in recent years.
Alireza Roshan was also arrested in September of 2011 during a raid on the Majzooban-e Noor website and released on bail a month later.
Iranian journalists have become repeated targets of persecution in Iran, especially after the controversial 2009 election, which was marred by allegations of fraud and followed by widespread street protests.
The crackdown on journalists has been condemned by Reporters Without Borders, which has called on the UN Human Rights Commissioner to take immediate steps to respond to the “catastrophic” situation of reporters and netizens.
