Watchdog

Armenian journalists are signing a petition urging the release of their Iranian colleagues who have been arrested in the ongoing crackdown that followed Iran's disputed presidential election, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

The petition, which is posted on the Internet and has been signed by some 25 journalists thus far, declares: "We, the undersigned Armenian journalists and photographers, are deeply worried about the fate of dozens of our colleagues and comrades in Iran."

Taguhi Torosian, an independent journalist who initiated the petition drive, says, "The main purpose of those arrests [is] to keep [the journalists] from spreading truthful information."

According to the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders, 49 Iranian reporters and bloggers have been arrested by Iranian authorities since the start of massive opposition demonstrations against the alleged rigging of the June 12 vote.

Torosian claimed that the crackdown on the nonstate media in Iran sets a "dangerous precedent for Armenia, because not all is well with freedom of speech here."

The Armenian government also used lethal force to end massive street protests and arrested scores of opposition members following last year's presidential election. But unlike Iranian officials, the Armenian government refrained from jailing reporters.

The journalists' petition includes the statement: "We hope that our colleagues will be freed as soon as possible and be able to continue their activities freely and objectively" and wishes "strength and patience" to the families of those arrested.

The third Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions has opened in the Kazakh capital, Astana, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev opened the congress, which includes religious leaders and academics from more than 60 countries. He said a new world order could not be built through force, only dialogue.

Israeli President Simon Peres was among the speakers at the congress, though one member of the Iranian delegation left the room before Peres began speaking.

The first two religious congresses took place in Kazakhstan in 2003 and 2006.

The Kazakh government has been sharply criticized for a new, more restrictive bill on religion -- already passed by the parliament -- that demands that all religious organizations operating in Kazakhstan reregister with authorities. The legislation is being held up by the country's Constitutional Council.

Kazakhstan has also come under pressure from international and local rights groups for its harsh treatment of many Muslim groups, including Salafis, many of whom have sought refuge in the Czech Republic because of the persecution they face in Kazakhstan.

Other nontraditional religious groups -- such as some Baptist groups and the Hare Krishna movement -- have had their property confiscated or destroyed in recent years.

The congress concludes on July 2.