Iran arrests scribes for working for foreigners
29 Jan 2013 7:19 AM IST
Iranian authorities have arrested several journalists, including the editor-in-chief of a leading reformist newspaper, on accusations of collaborating with the regime's opponents and working for foreign news organizations.
Acting on a court-issued warrant, security officers detained several journalists at their work places Sunday, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported. The publications raided by officials included the newspapers Etemaad, Bahar, Arman and Shargh, it said.
The news agency reported that it appeared that some of those detained had been working with Farsi-language counterrevolutionary media outlets.
In Iran's tightly managed news industry, the term counterrevolutionary implies overseas involvement. Several prominent Western news groups run services in Farsi, the primary language in Iran, including the BBC and Voice of America.
Iran has taken a hard line on journalists and bloggers in recent years, following the crackdown on the massive protests that took place over the disputed 2009 election.
In a report published last month, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Iran had the second highest number of journalists behind bars (45) in the world last year after Turkey (49).
Mashregh News, a pro-government news website affiliated with conservative lawmakers in Iran, reported the names of five journalists among those taken into custody.
Acting on a court-issued warrant, security officers detained several journalists at their work places Sunday, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported. The publications raided by officials included the newspapers Etemaad, Bahar, Arman and Shargh, it said.
The news agency reported that it appeared that some of those detained had been working with Farsi-language counterrevolutionary media outlets.
In Iran's tightly managed news industry, the term counterrevolutionary implies overseas involvement. Several prominent Western news groups run services in Farsi, the primary language in Iran, including the BBC and Voice of America.
Iran has taken a hard line on journalists and bloggers in recent years, following the crackdown on the massive protests that took place over the disputed 2009 election.
In a report published last month, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Iran had the second highest number of journalists behind bars (45) in the world last year after Turkey (49).
Mashregh News, a pro-government news website affiliated with conservative lawmakers in Iran, reported the names of five journalists among those taken into custody.
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