Media Group Decries Jailing Of Iranian Minority Journalists
September 24, 2008
The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has called on Iran to stop what it called Tehran's "all-out repression" of ethnic-minority journalists.
The Paris-based group said four ethnic-Azeri journalists -- Alireza Sarafi, Said Mohamadi, Hassain Rashedi, and Akabar Azad -- have been held without charge for more than 10 days, while another, Shahnaz Gholami, was sentenced on September 20 to six months in prison for her online articles.
Reporters Without Borders said it was "disturbing" that 11 out of 12 journalists detained in Iran were from the Kurdish, Azeri, or Arab minorities.
Iranian authorities "must put a stop to this all-out repression," the group said in a statement.
It said the journalists were being held in prison for criticizing social inequality and demanding equal treatment.