21 Oct 2009 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost, News and features
Kian Tajbakhsh, an American-Iranian academic, was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison on 20 October for his alleged role in anti-government protests following President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election. He was arrested on 9 July, and was the only US citizen detained in the government’s post-election crackdown. Despite appeals for his release, notably from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Tajbakhsh received the longest prison sentence yet handed down in the mass trial of more than 100 opposition individuals. Tajbakhsh’s lawyer plans to appeal the conviction. (Guardian, BBC)
6 Oct 2009 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost, News and features
Journalist Saeed Hajjarian was freed from Evin prison in Tehran on 30 September after paying bail. Hajjarian was arrested at his home on the night of 15 June. Hajjarian is the former editor of the now-closed Sobh-e-Emrouz newspaper, which backed President Khatami’s programme of reforms following his 1997 election victory.
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22 Sep 2009 | Comment
As Iran’s president prepares to address the UN General Assembly, Malu Halasa calls for the release of her friend and colleague, Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari
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26 Aug 2009 | Index Index, minipost
The fourth session of the mass trial of more than 100 opposition figures, including journalists, took place in Tehran yesterday and has been criticised for procedural irregularities and only allowing state-owned media coverage. The defendants were charged with “lying” and spreading “rumors of fraud in the election.” Read more here
