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Worry Over Journalists, MPs Criticize Government


Two men hide from riot police during clashes in Tehran on December 27, 2009
Two men hide from riot police during clashes in Tehran on December 27, 2009

Organization Concerned For Arrested Iranian Journalists

The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders recently published a statement expressing its concern over the possibility that Iranian journalists arrested during the post-election upheaval might be executed. Radio Farda speaks with Reza Moini, who researches Iranian issues for Reporters Without Borders, about the dangers faced these journalists.

"The truth is that some officials are again repeating the slogan "he/she must be executed," and some radical officials are asking for executing the arrested people unconditionally... The Islamic Republic's reputation shows that they are capable of running a mass execution," Moini said.

Moini says that since the demonstrations of December 27, more than 18 journalists have been arrested. Moini also says that the organization has a list of 42 journalists and bloggers who are now in prison, but emphasizes that this list is not complete, and the number is far more than that.

[listen in Farsi]

Reformist MPs Disappointed With Government's Actions

Reformist MP Mohammad- Reza Tabesh wrote a letter to Chairman of the Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani that asked him to maintain the dignity of the MPs and track the main culprits behind Iran's post-election turmoil.

Nasrollah Torabi, another reformist MP, also recently criticized the Ahmadinejad government. "Why can't the parliament stand opposing comments?" Torabi said. "Why doesn’t the parliament invite those who have been injured during the post-election events to come and talk about their cases to also listen to their stories?" Government supporters criticized Torabi's statement, and 10 days after his speech, his office in Shahr-E-Kord was broken into at night and set on fire. Torabi responded to the attack on his Web site where he wrote that he wonders how security forces are able to track all phone calls but could not avoid this action, which was probably planned.

Days after this event, domestic news agencies reported on an employee of the parliament security section who called two MPs "traitors" for not attending the MPs' pro-governmental rally.

[listen in Farsi]

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