New Death Sentence on Journalists in Iran

by Jahanshah Rashidian (Iran/Germany)

Islamic Republic of Iranian’s execution wave reaches the media in Iran. On 16 July 2007, two Kurd journalists, Mr. Adnan Hassanpour and Mr.Hiva Boutimar were sentenced to death by an Islamic tribunal in Marivan, a Kurdish city in north-western region. They are supposed to be brought to the scaffold in the coming days. Judiciary spokesman, Mr. Ali Reza Jamshidi, confirmed that two journalists have been sentenced to death, state media reported Tuesday, 31 0f July.

At a trial behind closed doors, the journalists were found guilty of “activities subverting national security, spying, and interviews for foreign news media including Voice of America”. These accusations were cited by the prosecution and confirmed by the journalists’ lawyer, Sirvan Hosmandi– who rather seems to be their public prosecutor!
The journalists were transferred to Sananda, the capital of the western Iranian province of Kurdistan, where they eventually wait for their death penalty.
The two journalists were sentenced on the charge of “moharebeh,” (fighter against Islam). The term, which describes a major crime against Islam and the God’s state of the IRI, is a common term used against political activists, what resulted into many thousands executions in Iran since the rise of the Islamic regime in 1979.
Death sentence for “profane” writers and journalists is reminiscent of Khomeini’s death fatwa against Salman Rushdie. For the first time, the term “Mohareb” was used to justify Khomeini’s death fatwa on a foreign writer, British Salman Rushdi.
Last year, another IRI’s senior, Sheikh Fazel Lankarani, issued a death fatwa on an Azeri journalist, Rafig Tagi, because of his “profane“ article “humiliating Prophet Muhammad”. The two Kurdish journalists are in fact the first Iranian journalists being accused of “Mohareb”.
Despite of constant repression on media and journalists, such a sentence proves a deterioration of general repression on the media.
According to the news, “three other Kurdish journalists are currently in prison in Iran. Ejlal Ghavani of Payam-e Mardom-e Kurdestan, a local weekly that was suspended in 2004, was detained on 9 July of this year after being convicted by a court in Sanandaj of “inciting the population to revolt” and “activities against national security.”
“Mohammad Sadegh Kabovand, Payam-e Mardom-e Kurdestan’s editor and the founder of a human rights organisation, was arrested on 1 July and transferred to Evin prison. He has not been officially charged”.
Another journalist, Kaveh Javanmard, of the weekly Karfto is condemned to two-year prison. He was not allowed access to a lawyer during his trial, which took place behind closed doors.
With a total of eight journalists currently detained, Iran continues to be the Middle East’s biggest prison for the press and one of the world’s ten most repressive countries as regards freedom of expression in the media.
The twelve executed “thugs” of July 22 was the start of the new execution wave. Alone in one day, they were hanged accused of, theft, rape, and violation to Islamic norms were. According to opposition sources, at least three of them were political activists. The “accused” were detained by security forces during the ongoing crackdown on “hooliganism”. Their death verdict was pronounced in absence of any bill of indictment and power of attorney.
The chain of executions now reaches the media, a sensible source of news under a totalitarian regime, Reporters Without Borders says: “We appeal to the international community to ask Iran to reverse this decision and to refrain from executing two journalists who did nothing but exercise their right to inform their fellow citizens”. “Iran is in the process of becoming one of the world’s biggest prisons for journalists“, the source continues.
The IRI prefers death penalty to intimidate the angry people of Iran and the “civilised” world is seriously expected to prove its civilisation by intensifying its pressure on the IRI to prevent the execution.