In concerted attacks on independent press, Iran’s security
forces on Sunday raided offices of five newspapers in Tehran and arrested at
least nine journalists. The attacks came within a day after the authorities suspended
the popular news site Tabnak and also arrested the political editor of the news
agency ILNA.
The five newspapers whose offices were raided today are Etemad, Bahar, Sharq, Aseman and Arman. (In the photo, Sharq and Etemad are seen in the middle row).
The journalists arrested are Javad Daliri, Sasan Aghaie,
Nasrin Takhiri, Motahareh Shafie, Nargues Jodaki, Emilie Emraie, Pouria Alami,
Pejman Mousavi and Saba Azar-Peyk.
Tabnak is a
conservative news site published by former IRGC commander and presidential
candidate Mohsen Rezaie. The site has kept its independence from the hardline
orthodoxy of pro-regime press.
ILNA is a semi-official news agency known for its independent
reporting. Its political editor Milad Fadaie Asr was arrested on Saturday on
the street by security agents and was transferred to the notorious
Evin prison.
Note: The raid on independent press comes as top issues in the upcoming presidential
election are getting wide coverage in the press. The authorities seem to want
to eliminate all those voices and keep the likes of right-wing Kayhan and Fars News
Agency to “cover” the June presidential election and the economic, political and security
issues facing the country.
