Iranian MP Ali Motahari has called for the release of jailed journalists in Iran. At a gathering held by the Association of Non-governmental Newspapers to mark the Day of the Journalist, Motahari said: “We have a journalist who has been held in solitary confinement without any proper explanations because she followed up on the news about Evin Prison.”
Motahari also called for a resolution regarding the closure of the Iranian Association of Journalists, saying it needs to be reopened as soon as possible.
Saba Azarpeyk, Serajeddin Mirdamadi, Reyhaneh Tabatabai and Marzaieh Rasouli are among the journalists who have been jailed by the Iranian judiciary.
The head of the Jomhouri Eslami Newspaper, Masih Mohajeri, condemned the restrictions placed on the media, saying: “The administration has limited powers but it is not taking advantage of the powers that it has. We have to take advantage of the atmosphere of moderation because there are certain groups in the country that are even more dangerous than Daesh and the Taliban.”
Other prominent journalists echoed Mohajeri’s concerns about restricting the media and called for freedom of the press and an end to censorship.
