Another Iranian Condemned to Death; Regime Has Arrested Eight More Journalists

Another Iranian citizen has been sentenced to execution for particiapting in an anti-government riots at the end of December, the ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday. A total of 12 people have been sentenced to death.

"Nine leaders of the Ashura troubles have been condemned -- one to capital punishment and nine to prison sentences," said ISNA, quoting the Tehran prosecutor's office and without providing details.

Eight people were killed and hundreds more hurt in the December 27 demonstrations on Ashura, a Shiite Muslim holy day, the latest in a series of protests over what many in Iran believed to have been the rigged re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June.

Hundreds more people were arrested during or after the Ashura protest.

Meanwhile, senior justice official Seyyed Ebrahim Raissi said another nine people already condemned to death are awaiting the outcome of an appeal.

"Their case is before the appeals court and its decision must be awaited," he said.

Of the 12 people in total condemned to hang, two were executed on January 28.

Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmani Pour had been convicted of being Mohareb (enemies of God) after being charged with plotting to topple the Islamic regime.

Meanwhile, the prosecution said "the conviction of 35 elements" arrested during the demonstrations "has been confirmed and sent to the judge for carrying out of the sentence. They were accused of "gathering in contravention of security, propaganda against the regime, attacks on the forces of order, destruction and arson."

Here is Al Jazeera report on the earlier executions:



Reporters sans frontières said today that it deplores the fact that, as a result of arrests in the past few days, the number of journalists and netizens detained in Iran now exceeds 65.

“This is a figure that is without precedent since Reporters Without Borders was created in 1985,” the press-freedom organization’s secretary-general, Jean-François Julliard, said. “The detainees include journalists based in Tehran and the provinces.”

At the same time, the Internet has been experiencing a great deal of disruption since the evening of 6 February and some mobile phone companies are no longer allowing users to send SMS messages. The measures appear to be part of a concerted effort by the authorities to prevent opposition protests during the Islamic Revolution’s 31st anniversary celebrations on 11 February.

Intelligence ministry officials arrested at least eight journalists yesterday and the day before and took them to unknown places of detentions. Those arrested include:

Akbar Montajabi of Etemad-e Mell (a daily closed by the authorities)

Ahmad Jalali Farahani (arrested a day after being fired from the Meher News agency)

Mahsa Jazini of the Isfahan-based daily Iran

Somayeh Momeni of the monthly Nasim Bidary

Zeynab Kazem-Khah, an arts reporter for the ISNA news agency

Amir Sadeghi, a photographer with the daily Farhangh Ashti

Hassan Zohouri of the Mirass Farhanghi news agency

Ehsan Mehrabi of the daily Farhikhteghan

Vahid Pourostad of the daily Farhikhteghan


Reporters Without Borders has not received any news of several other journalists and netizens who were also reportedly arrested in recent days.

The press freedom organisation has learned that Ali Mohammad Islampour, editor of the Qasrnews blog and editor of the Navai Vaghat newspaper, was arrested on a charge of “publishing false information liable to upset public opinion” on 3 February after being summoned by a revolutionary court in the western city of Kermanshah.

In a press release yesterday, the intelligence ministry announced the arrests of seven journalists for “collaborating with Zionist satellite TV stations.” The journalists are accused of “receiving professional training abroad in the preparation of a velvet revolution,” disturbing public order and “collaborating with Radio Farda (Radio Free Europe).” A senior Radio Farda representative denied the allegation and said the station had no journalists in Iran.

In an open letter to international media that have been invited by the Iranian authorities to cover the 31st anniversary celebrations, ten Iranian exile journalists said they had detailed information from Iran about the government’s plans to give the impression that it is supported by most of the population. It not only wants to prevent an opposition rally on Azadi Square, where President Ahmadinejad will give his speech, but also to ensure that there will only be government supporters in the square, the letter said.

Inviting foreign journalists to cover the Islamic Revolution’s official anniversary was a trap, the journalists wrote. A government that has already arrested, jailed and charged journalists working for foreign news media, now wanted to demonstrate its popularity to the entire world and thereby conceal the protests, they said.

The letter added: “You are going to Iran not only as media representatives of the free world, but also as representatives of your Iranian fellow journalists who are either in prison or in exile outside Iran. Your host is a government that is anti-freedom, anti-free media, and one that violates the most basic human rights of its people.”

Reporters Without Borders wrote to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay on 4 February voicing concern about the situation in Iran and requesting an interview. The organisation also wrote to the foreign ministers of the European Union’s 27 member countries urging them to recall their ambassadors from Tehran “to protest against the arbitrary repression of government opponents, denounce the judicial farce of the Stalinist-style show trials and publicly express your concern about the imminent risk of executions.”

Another Show Trial in Iran Threatens Reporter's Life

The Iranian regime has started another mass trial of government opponents before a Tehran revolutionary court for their role in protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election, including the major demonstrations on Dec. 27, the journalism freedom advocacy group Reporters sans frontières announced.

The group said on its website that all of the 16 defendants in the latest trial, which began on Jan. 30, are accused of being “mohareb” (enemies of God) and “corrupt on earth” – charges that carry the death penalty – and of activities against national security. They include Omid Montazeri, a young reporter for various newspapers, who was arrested on Dec. 28 because of journalistic activities that have included giving interviews for news media based abroad.

“The regime’s leaders seem to think that prisoner executions will help to restore calm in Iran,” Reporters sans frontières said. “Several of the currently detained journalists and bloggers, who were arrested illegally, are accused of being ‘enemies of God’ and are being subjected to considerable pressure to make confessions.” The group described the trial as Stalinist. “The new round of Stalinist-style political trials that has just started is a judicial farce and even violates Iran’s own laws. We caution the international community that the regime is now capable of taking this macabre scenario to the bitter end.”

Here is the rest of the agency's report:

Montazeri, who wrote for Shargh and Kargozaran, newspapers that have been closed by the government, was arrested after responding to a summons to report to the revolutionary court. The previous day, 27 December, plain-clothes agents from the intelligence ministry searched his home and arrested his mother, Mahin Fahimi. Following Montazeri’s arrest, both were transferred to an unknown place of detention.

Various sources say Montazeri is being pressured to confess links to organisations based abroad that are opposed to the regime. His lawyer has not been able to visit him or see the prosecution case file. He has also not been told when Montazeri will appear in court and has not been allowed to go to the court.

“The regime intends to make Montazeri suffer the same fate as his father, who was murdered 21 years ago, in 1988, like many other political prisoners,” Reporters Without Borders added.

As in the previous Stalinist-style show trials in August, the defendants are not being allowed to talk to their lawyers, who are unable to find out what their clients are alleged to have done. Instead, the Tehran state prosecutor has appointed defence lawyers with the links to the intelligence services.

Reporters Without Borders has learned of the arrests of three more journalists in the past few days:

Alireza Saghafi, the editor of Rah Ayandeh (a magazine closed by the authorities in May 2008), was arrested on 1 February after responding to a summons to go to the intelligence ministry. On the evening of the same day, computers and books were seized in a search of his home. A member of the Iranian writers’ association, he was previously arrested on 1 May 2009, an hour before the start of May Day demonstrations, and was freed on 10 June on payment of 70 million toman in bail. He was summoned several times before his arrest.

As ceremonies marking the 40th day of mourning for Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri’s death were taking place on 29 January, police arrested several people including Ali Asharf Fathi, a theologian at the Koranic school in the religious city of Qom who edits the Tourjan website. A moderate known for criticising extremists, he is the son of a famous Revolutionary Guards commander who was killed in the Iran-Iraq war.

Photographer Mehraneh Atashi and her husband were arrested on 12 January. After working for various international media for several years, Atashi had recently decided to concentrate on artistic photography. It is not known where she and her husband have been held since their arrest.

Internet connections have meanwhile been slowed right down in several cities ahead of the Islamic Revolution’s 31st anniversary, as they have been during all events likely to be used by the opposition to stage demonstrations. Several websites have been also been the targets of attacks by hackers, including the Radio Zamaneh website, which was attacked by the “cyber-army,” a Revolutionary Guards group.

Iran's Brutal Crackdown on Journalists Continuing

Reporters sans frontières reported today that six months after Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential election, the news and information are still being sensored by authorities, and journalists are being persecuted at a frightening rate.

More than 100 journalists have been arrested since the election and about 50 have fled into exile. A dozen newspapers have been closed by the authorities and access to thousands of Internet pages has been blocked, the advocacy agency said.

Within hours of the announcement of President Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad’s election “victory,” journalists were being arrested by the intelligence ministry, Revolutionary Guards and other security services. Most were taken to Tehran’s Evin prison. At least 100 journalists and bloggers have been arrested since 12 June and 27 are still being held. Iran is one of the world’s five biggest prisons for journalists.

Like Chile’s national stadium in Santiago after the 1973 military coup, Evin prison has been turned into a massive holding centre for political detainees, most of whom are mistreated and subject to considerable psychological harassment.

Some journalists have been freed in exchange for the payment of exorbitant sums in bail, after being given prison sentences ranging from five to nine years. Others have been released pending trial.

Meanwhile, journalists continue to be harassed in the major provincial cities such as Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tabriz, where they are often summoned, interrogated and threatened.

Give the report a read. Our biggest problem in the United States is keeping our jobs. Journalists in Iran are fighting for their lives.

Iran Releases Newsweek's Maziar Bahari on Bail

Maziar Bahari, a journalist with dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship who is Newsweek’s Iran correspondent, was freed on bail on Saturday.

Iran took the action two days after UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon released a damning
report on the human-rights situation in Iran. He had been held without being charged in prison in Iran since June 21.

"We are all relieved to hear that Maziar Bahari has been released on bail and currently at home with his family in Tehran," Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Executive Director Annie Game said. "Hopefully this is a sign that other journalists who continue to languish in jail in Iran will also be released in the near future."

While this long awaited news is extremely welcome - there remain concerns that Bahari's ability to leave the country may be restricted. Bahari's wife, Paola Gourley, is expecting the birth of their first child on October 26, in England. Bahari was freed on payment of 300 million toman ($372,500) of bail after 120 days in Tehran’s Evin prison. He is still awaiting a trial on undetermined charges.

Meanwhile, the Iranian authorities are refusing to provide any information about Hossein Derakhshan, a blogger with dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship who has been held for nearly a year.

“Bahari’s release should not divert attention from the fact that 31 other journalists and bloggers, including Derakhshan, are still detained in Iran,” Reporters sans frontières, a Paris-based international advocacy group for reporters, said. “Canada and the entire international community must redouble efforts to get the Iranian authorities to free all the imprisoned journalists. Ban Ki-Moon’s recent report confirms that the human rights situation has deteriorated considerably.”

Iranian Cleric Supports Execution of Protest Leaders to 'Provide a Lesson'

The Associated Press is reporting this afternoon that a leading Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, during his Friday sermon at Tehran University called for the execution of the protest leaders as a means to stopping dissent and to provide a lesson to the opposition.

"Anybody who fights against the Islamic system or the leader of Islamic society, fight him until complete destruction," he said in the nationally broadcast speech.

The cleric alleged that some involved in the unrest had used firearms.

"Anyone who takes up arms to fight with the people, they are worthy of execution," he said. "We ask that the judiciary confront the leaders of the protests, leaders of the violations, and those who are supported by the United States and Israel strongly, and without mercy to provide a lesson for all."

Khatami said those who disturbed the peace and destroyed public property were "at war with God," and said they should be "dealt with without mercy."

He reminded worshippers that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rules by God's design and must not be defied.

The cleric also lashed out at foreign journalists, accusing them of false reporting, and singled out Britain for new criticism.

"In this unrest, Britons have behaved very mischievously and it is fair to add the slogan of 'down with England' to slogan of 'down with USA,'" he said, as his remarks were interrupted by worshippers' chants of "Death to Israel."

Meanwhile, USA TODAY's Ken Dilanian is reporting today that President Barack Obama is planning to fund groups that support Iranian dissidents. This would be a continuation of a program that became controversial when it was expanded by President George Bush, and would could contradict earlier administration statements that the United States is not providing support for the dissidents.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has for the last year been soliciting applications for $20 million in grants to "promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Iran," according to documents on the agency's website. The final deadline for grant applications is June 30.

Dilanian reports:

U.S. efforts to support Iranian opposition groups have been criticized in recent years as veiled attempts to promote "regime change," said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, the largest Iranian-American advocacy group. The grants enable Iran's rulers to paint opponents as tools of the United States, he said.

Although the Obama administration has not sought to continue the Iran-specific grants in its 2010 budget, it wants a $15 million boost for the Near Eastern Regional Democracy Initiative, which has similar aims but does not specify the nations involved. Some of that money will be targeted at Iran, said David Carle, a spokesman for the appropriations subcommittee that oversees foreign affairs.

"Part of it is to expand access to information and communications through the Internet for Iranians," Carle said in an e-mail.

President Obama said this week the United States "is not at all interfering in Iran's affairs," rejecting charges of meddling that were renewed Thursday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Asked how the democracy promotion initiatives square with the president's statement, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said, "Let's be clear: The United States does not fund any movement, faction or political party in Iran. We support . . . universal principles of human rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law."

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "Respecting Iran's sovereignty does not mean our silence on issues of fundamental rights and freedoms, such as the right to peacefully protest." [The State Department oversees the USAID.]

The Bush program "was a horrible idea," Parsi said. "It made human-rights activists and non-governmental organizations targets."

Ahmadinejad Rejects Obama's Open Hand Gesture

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today rebuffed any notion of welcoming President Barack Obama's "open hand" gesture in remarks quoted in The New York Times and attributed to the Iranian Fars news agency.

Obama had sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, before the election calling for an improvement in relations, The Washington Times reported on Wednesday.

The Fars news agency quoted Ahmadinejad today as saying in remarks addressed to Mr. Obama, “I hope you will avoid interfering in Iran’s affairs and express regret in a way that the Iranian people are informed of it.”

Apparently brushing aside Mr. Obama’s offers, made in the early days of his presidency, of a dialogue with Iran, Mr. Ahmadinejad said, “Mr. Obama made a mistake to say those things.”

“Our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously Bush used to say,” he said, according to Fars, quoted in western news agency reports.

Meanwhile, Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi told Reuters that despite the violence, he has no plans to give up the fight for an annulment of the election results:

I am pressured to abandon my demand for the vote annulment … a major rigging has happened … I am prepared to prove that those behind the rigging are responsible for the bloodshed … Continuation of legal and calm protests will guarantee achieving our goals.

Seventy Iranian academic leaders were arrested yesterday after they met with opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the defeated presidential candidate's website says today.

It is unclear where they are being held or for how long they will be detained.
According to state media, 17 people have died in the violence that has gripped the country, and opposition forces say hundreds have been held.

The Times reported:

The official Iranian news agency reported that intelligence and security agents in Tehran concluded that a Moussavi campaign office was used for “illegal gatherings, the promotion of unrest, and efforts to undermine the country’s security,” leading to speculation that Mr. Moussavi could be arrested. The news agency reported that “the plotters have been arrested.”

Obama Sent Letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Urging Cooperation, Report Says

President Barack Obama sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an improvement in relations, according to interviews and the leader himself, Barbara Slavin of The Washington Times is reporting.

Ayatollah Khamenei confirmed the letter toward the end of a lengthy sermon last week, the Times said, in which he accused the United States of fomenting protests in his country in the aftermath of the disputed June 12 presidential election.

Obama's olive branch offer is consistent with his campaign promise to sit down with leaders of nations that sponsor terrorism without preconditions. It is also in alignment with his inauguration day promise "that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

The letter was sent before the election, and its exact contents are not known. Administration officials have been reluctant to talk about the letter a day after Obama gave his strongest condemnation yet of the Iranian crackdown against protesters.

The Washington Times quoted an anonymous Iranian government source as saying that the letter was sent between May 4 and May 10, and laid out the prospect of "cooperation in regional and bilateral relations" and a resolution of the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

The Iranian told the Times the letter was given to the Iranian Foreign Ministry by a representative of the Swiss Embassy, which represents U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of U.S.-Iran diplomatic relations. The letter was then delivered to the office of Ayatollah Khamenei, the Times said.

CNN Looks at Neda, the Person

CNN takes a look at who was Neda Agha Sultan, the Iranian woman whose death was caught on a cell phone video and who has becaome a rallying point for protesters in that country.

The second of three children, Neda lived with her parents in a middle-class neighborhood east of Tehran.

She was a happy, positive person. Though she studied philosophy and religion at the Azad Islamic University, she was more spiritual than religious. She also loved music. She once studied violin but had given it up and was planning to take up piano next. She had just bought a piano, but it had not yet been delivered.

Her demeanor was typically calm, even serene, but she had a quirky, playful sense of humor. A friend recalled that once, when Neda was visiting her friend's house, she picked up a white Teddy bear, took off her big, purple-studded earrings and put them on the bear. Then she removed a necklace from around the neck of a friend and put it around the bear's neck, taking delight in the bear's transformation.

She liked to travel, having visited Turkey three months ago with a tour group. And she believed in human rights, her friend said.

Obama on Iran Riots: 'It's heartbreaking'

President Barack Obama expressed his disappointment at the situation in Iran. "It's heartbreaking, and I think that anybody who sees it knows there's something fundamentally unjust" going on, he said.

Here is video of his comment on Iran:

Repression Live: Iran's Crackdown Seen Worldwide; Hotline Established to Aid Journalists in Danger

The BBC said today that Iran has widened electronic jamming of its services, as the country's Revolutionary Guard ordered domestic websites and blogs to remove any material that might "create tension" amid post-election unrest. Reporters are not allowed to cover unauthorised gatherings or move around freely in Tehran - but there are no controls over what they can write or say, according to the BBC.

Both the BBC's World News and Persian TV channels are now being jammed by "ground-based interference" in what one senior corporation insider told MediaGuardian.co.uk was akin to "electronic warfare".

Iranian authorities also blocked access to Yahoo Messenger early today as the country intensified its crackdown on all means of communication following Friday's controversial presidential poll.

Menawhile, Reporters sans frontières said this afternoon in Paris that two more journalists have been arrested.

Saide Lylaz, a business reporter for the newspaper Sarmayeh, who had been very critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s policies, is arrested at his home in Tehran. His wife says she does not know where he has been taken.

It is reported that Mohamad Atryanfar, the publisher of several newspapers including Hamshary, Shargh and Shahrvand Emrouz, was arrested on 15 June and was taken to the security wing of Evin prison.

This brings the total number of Iranian journalists arrested to at least 13.

Reporters sans frontières announced it has established a hotline for Iranian journalists in danger. SOS Presse, a phone hotline for journalists - (33) 1 4777-7414 - is open every day round the clock and, with the help of American Express, a Reporters sans frontières official can be quickly reached. Collect/reverse-charge calls can be made.

Late last night, Aldolfatah Soltani, a lawyer who represents many imprisoned journalists and who is a member of the Human Rights Defenders Centre, was arrested on the orders of the Tehran revolutionary court and is probably taken to the security wing at Tehran’s Evin prison. Ten or so opposition activists, politicians and civil society figures have been arrested in the course of the day in Tehran and three other major cities – Tabriz, Ispahan, and Shiraz.

The Guardian also reports these details:

BBC's Persian website has also been blocked by filters, although the corporation said people were finding a way to unblock them manually and that use of the site had been "massive". It was receiving five videos a minute from people within Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard, an elite body answering to the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said through the state news service that Iranian websites and bloggers must remove any materials that "create tension", or else they would face legal action.

This is the first public statement from what is the country's most powerful military force since the crisis erupted.

Iranian reformist websites, as well as blogs and Western social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, have been vital conduits for Iranians to inform the world about protests over the bitterly contested declaration of election victory for the hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

At least 20 websites affiliated to the defeated reformist candidate, Mir Hussein Mousavi, have been blocked, although some users can still update their profiles by using proxy sites.

"Before this we could bypass filtering by using proxy websites, the links for which were distributed daily among friends by email. But now the Iranian communication ministry has also begun to tackle proxy websites too," one Iranian student said.

"But there is still a small number of people who update their Facebook and Twitter profiles by using special anti-filtering programmes installed on their PC rather than regular proxy websites. The problem is that many people don't know how to use this software."

Iran Tightens Its Fist on Reporters; 11 Iranian Journalists Arrested

Iran's brutal crackdown on journalists and information that began after the announcement of the disputed presidential election results is continuing and getting worse as journalists are being rounded up and arrested, reports Reporters sans frontières, whose press release and report are the sources of this post. Additional censorship measures have been adopted as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tries to suppress media coverage of fraud allegations.

“Independent sources of news and information find it very hard to make their voice heard now in Iran because of the censorship,” Reporters sans frontières said. “The authorities are tightening their grip on all news media and means of communication that could be used to dispute Ahmadinejad reelection ‘victory’. They are doing everything possible to limit coverage of the consequences of the election fraud.”

The advocacy agency reiterates its appeal to the international community not to recognise the results of the presidential election first round held on June 12.

“A democratic election is one in which the media are free to monitor the electoral process and investigate fraud allegations but neither of these two conditions has been met for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s supposed reelection,” the agency said. “We urge the international community, especially European countries, not to recognise the results announced by the authorities as long as the electoral process is subject to censorship. An election won by means of censorship and arrests of journalists is not democratic.”

The security services have moved into the offices of newspapers where they are reading articles and censoring content. Mehdi Karoubi, one of the candidates, referred to the censorship in a press release. “I cannot even publish my release in my newspaper Etemad Meli,” he said.

The newspaper’s front page shows a photo of Ahmadinejad at a rally with columns left blank because of editing by the censors. The newspaper Velayat in the province of Qazvin (north of Tehran) has been suspended for publishing a cartoon of Ahmadinejad.

Even governmental news sources have been targeted in the crackdown. Four interior ministry officials have been arrested for given results that were different from those announced by Ahmadinejad’s allies, Reporters sans frontières said.

Four pro-reform newspapers have been closed or prevented from criticizing the official election results following a warning from Tehran prosecutor general Said Mortazavi. Kalameh Sabaz, a daily owned by opposition presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, had its distribution blocked and it was forced to change a front page announcing Mousavi’s victory. It has not been able to publish any issue since June 13.

Eleven Iranian journalists have been arrested since June 12. Reza Alijani, Hoda Sabaer and Taghi Rahmani were arrested on June 13. Alijani and Rahmani were released yesterday evening. Freelancer Kivan Samimi Behbani, the former editor of Nameh (“The Letter”), an independent monthly closed in 2005, and Ahamad Zeydabadi were also arrested and then released.

Abdolreza Tajik was arrested at midday yesterday at the headquarters of the newspaper Farhikhtegan by three men in plain-clothes. A member of the Human Rights Defenders Centre, Tajik has worked for many Iranian publications that have been closed by the authorities, including Bahar (closed in 2001), Hambastegi (closed in 2003) and Shargh (closed in 2008).

Five of the journalists arrested in the past few days are still detained. They include Said Shariti, the editor of the news website Nooroz, who is being held by the police, and Mahssa Amrabadi of the daily Etemad Melli. She was arrested at her home yesterday by intelligence ministry agents who came with a warrant for the arrest of her husband, fellow-journalist Masoud Bastani. He was not at home at the time.

Two women journalists working at the Mousavi campaign headquarters were physically attacked on June 12. The Mousavi campaign news centre was ransacked on June 13 by Ahmadinejad supporters, who destroyed its computers. The Qalam News agency operated out of this centre.

There is no word of about 10 other journalists who have either been arrested or gone into hiding.

Iran is also fighting against the Internet, controlling and blocking all news websites likely to challenge Ahmadinejad’s announced victory. Ten or so pro-opposition websites have been censored. Most of the world is getting its news out of Iran from Twitter and other Internet sites.

The censored websites include www.entekhab.ir/ (inaccessible since June 11), www.ayandenews.com/ (inaccessible since June 12), teribon.com/, the pro-reform sites khordadeno.com/, aftabnews.ir/index.php and ghalamesabz.com/, norooznews.ir (the news website of the pro-Mousavi Islamic Participation Party) and www.ghalamsima.com/ (which also supports the Mousavi campaign). And the women’s rights website www.we-change.org/ has been blocked for the 20th time.

The international websites YouTube and Facebook are hard to access, the journalism agency reports. The mobile phone network is being jammed. The service of the leading mobile phone operator, which is state controlled, has been suspended since 10 p.m. on 13 June. The SMS messaging network has been cut since the morning of June 12, preventing use of Twitter.

The blockage of the foreign media has been stepped up. In addition to the blocking of the BBC’s website, the Farsi-language satellite broadcasts of the VOA and BBC – which are very popular in Iran – have been partially jammed. The BBC reported that their Farsi broadcasts have been the target of significant jamming “coming from Iran” since 12:45 Greenwich Mean Time on June 12, and that the jamming has been getting steadily worse.

The authorities yesterday ordered the Tehran bureau of the Arab satellite TV news station Al-Arabiya closed for a week after it broadcast video of the first demonstration following the announcement of Ahmadinejad’s reelection.

Foreign journalists have been prevented from covering the demonstrations, some have been notified that their visas will not be renewed, and some have been the victims of police violence. A member of a TV crew working for the Italian station RAI and a Reuters reporter were beaten by police in the capital. A BBC TV crew was threatened by police at one point, but demonstrators chased the police away. The correspondents of the German TV stations ARD and ZDF were forbidden to leave their hotel on June 13. Reuters reports that its journalists are banned from leaving their office or taking pictures.

Two Dutch TV journalists working for Nederland 2 were arrested and expelled. Reporter Yolanda Alvarez of the Spanish television station TVE was deported together with her crew today.

One Protester Shot Dead in Tehran

At least one person is dead after militia fired into a crowd of protesters in Tehran today.

An Associated Press photographer saw one person shot dead and several others who appear seriously wounded in Tehran's Azadi Square. The shooting came from a compound for volunteer militia linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.

The gunfire Monday came after more than 100,000 opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad streamed through Tehran. They were not challenged by security forces despite an earlier ban on rallies for reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Disputes over alleged vote rigging in last week's elections have touched off days of rioting in Tehran.

Biden Doubts If Iran Election Was Legitimate; Protests Grow in Iran Over Results

There is still confusion over the election results in Iran, some of it coming from the United States.

Officially, the United States is recognizing the election results. Unofficially, Vice President Joe Biden didn't get the memo.

Biden said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he had doubts about whether Iran's presidential election was free and fair, though the United States must accept Teheran's claim that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a resounding re-election.

U.S. officials are trying to understand whether the vote accurately reflected Iranians' response to President Barack Obama's effort to open a dialogue after a nearly 30-year diplomatic freeze, Biden said. "That's the question," Biden said, adding: "Is this the result of the Iranian people's wishes? The hope is that the Iranian people all their votes have been counted, they've been counted fairly. But look, we just don't know enough" since Friday's vote.

While Ahmadinejad insisted the results showing his landslide victory were fair and legitimate, Biden simply said, "You know I have doubts."

"It sure looks like the way they're suppressing speech, the way they're suppressing crowds, the way in which people are being treated, that there's some real doubt about that," Biden said.

Despite the fact that the vice president said the United States for now recognizes the election results, Major Garrett, reporting for FOX News, reports that an administration official, who did not want to be named, is more cautious:

A senior official, speaking without attribution, said the Obama administration would not describe the announced outcome of the Iranian election as legitimate or illegitimate.

It would also not describe a victory by Mir Hossein Mousavi as necessarily better than a victory - now claimed and endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - by reigning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad.

"We're not going to characterize what would have been a better or worse scenario," the official said. "We will deal with this as it is, not as we wish it to be. We have very serious foreign policy and national security issues at play here. That was the case yesterday. It is the case today."

The official said the White House and State Department will "follow closely" reports of voting irregularities and called the public statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on irregularities a "straight-forward" signal to the world about US concerns.

"We are continuing to follow and monitor developments, but we are not going to get ahead of the facts."

The senior official said there was legitimate reason to study complaints from Mousavi's camp that the former prime minister even lost in his own political base to Ahmadinejad, that cell phones and text messaging appeared to have been blocked, and that shortages in ballots may have denied millions a chance to vote.

Andrew Sullivan, writing on The Daily Dish for The Atlantic, reports that one ayatollah is protesting the results.

Grand Ayatollah Sanei in Iran has declared Ahmadinejad's presidency illegitimate and cooperating with his government against Islam. There are strong rumors that his house and office are surrounded by the police and his website is filtered. He had previously issued a fatwa, against rigging of the elections in any form or shape, calling it a mortal sin.

On the streets, protests are continuing. Here is recent video of riot cops riding motorcycles directly into a crowd of protesters.



When asked about reports of arrests and the detention of opposition leaders, including that of his challenger Mir Hussein Moussavi, Ahmadinejad gave a cryptic response during a news conference. Here is CNN's translation:

"The situation in the country is in a very good condition. Iran is the most stable country in the world, and there's the rule of law in this country, and all the people are equal before the law. And the presidential election has witnessed people's massive turnout. As I said, even in a soccer match, people may become excited and that may lead to a confrontation between them and the police force. This is something natural. A person coming out of a stadium may violate the traffic regulations. He will be fined by the police no matter who he is, an ordinary person or even a minister.

"So these are not problems for the people of Iran. 40 million people have participated in the election and these 40 million people will safeguard the elections, based on the Iranian culture. There is no partisanship based on the Western concept. In fact, the people are friends with one another, and they're going to cast their votes in favor of any candidate they like, and of course, such a voting process will not lead to any hostility among the people. And you go to the streets you see that people are friends with one another, and in Iran, no one asks the other whom you're going to vote for.

"The situation is very good, and Iran is on the threshold of making considerable progress. And definitely in the next four years, the status of Iran in the world will be further promoted.

Here is video of the CNN's Christian Amanpour pressing Ahamdinejad for answers concerning the challenger's safety:

An Insider's View on How Journalism Works in Iran

Author and reporter Azadeh Moaveni, writing for Time magazine this morning, explores the difficulties for journalists reporting from Iran:

This loss of nuance can be seen in the recent case of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, whose story has been told by the Western media as that of a reporter shut down while in pursuit of the truth. The real story is far more complicated.

Iran's record of dealing with journalists is certainly stained – the Committee to Protect Journalists has called the country's Supreme Leader one of the world's worst enemies of the press, and several journalists and bloggers have died while in state custody.

But to work in Iran you must understand the system through which journalists gain access. This system is complicated and demands much from those it oversees, and anyone who has reported successfully there has been complicit with its entrenchment. I've reported in Iran since 1999, and written two books that openly describe what I've faced along the way. The authorities assigned me a minder, whom I called Mr. X in my books, charged with monitoring my activities and occasionally bullying me into not working at all. Our relationship over the years has been excruciating at times, but I've tried to keep sight of what he represents — a troubled government composed of both pragmatic and hard-line factions.

The latter believe that at heart all journalists are essentially spies, and the fact that they still allow so many foreign journalists to visit and operate out of Iran is no small step for a country that just 30 years ago was executing the Shah's officials on rooftops. Iran is not a Western democracy. Its newsworthiness is precisely what makes it such a dangerous and complicated beat for reporters. In such an atmosphere, practicing anything but the utmost caution is naïve. Those who flout the system do so primarily at their own expense.

Iranian Think Tank Criticizes Ahmadinejad for Distortions on Nuclear Weapons Program

Here's something you don't see every day.

A moderate think tank in Tehran, led by Iran's former top nuclear negotiator, has accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of distorting facts about the country's nuclear program to depict himself as a hero and improve his chances in the upcoming election, according to The Jerusalem Post.

... the Center for Strategic Research, led by former nuclear negotiator Hasan Rowhani, said Ahmadinejad has attempted to downplay the role of his predecessors in developing Iran's nuclear program, which was started in the 1980s under former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, the president's leading election challenger.

It also accused Ahmadinejad of exaggerating his role in standing up to the West over a 2003 deal his reformist predecessor, Mohammad Khatami, reached with three European countries to temporarily suspend Iran's uranium enrichment program.

Ahmadinejad has called the deal, which was negotiated by Rowhani, "disgraceful" and said he restored Iran's dignity by resuming the country's enrichment program after he took office in 2005. But the think tank noted that Khatami actually reversed the freeze shortly before Ahmadinejad took office in response to international demands to permanently suspend the nuclear program.

"It's deploring that some historical facts have deliberately been distorted in the past four years," the group said in a statement issued Friday.

The 2003 deal with Britain, France and Germany was aimed at easing Western fears that Iran was seeking to build nuclear weapons - a charge that Tehran has denied. The think tank said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved the deal, which it said was "wise" because it was temporary and saved Iran from UN punishment.

In contrast, the group said Ahmadinejad's hard-line policy has prompted the UN to impose three rounds of financial sanctions on Iran for failing to suspend uranium enrichment - a process that can produce fuel for a nuclear reactor or material for a bomb.

Iran first began enriching uranium under Ahmadinejad's leadership in Feb. 2006 and produced nuclear fuel for the first time in April of that year.

The think tank said Ahmadinejad's decision to dismiss the UN sanctions as "worthless" and "torn bits of paper" has only brought greater harm to Iran.

Rowhani has invited Ahmadinejad to debate Iran's nuclear policy, but the president has not yet responded.

Roxana Saberi Freed From Prison and Can Leave Iran Immediately

UPDATE, 9:30 a.m. Eastern: An American journalist jailed in Iran has been freed and can leave the country immediately, her lawyer said Monday after an appeals court suspended her eight-year prison sentence, according to the Associated Press.

Abdolsamad Khorramshahi says Roxana Saberi is "now out of jail." The 32-year-old dual American-Iranian national had been in detention for nearly three months. On April 18, Iran's Revolutionary Court charged her with spying for the United States, and sentenced her to eight years in prison.

Iran's judiciary said the appeals court, which heard her case on Sunday, had reduced her jail term to a suspended two-year sentence, said one of her lawyers, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi.

"She is entitled to leave Iran immediately," said human-rights lawyer Saleh Nikbakht.

Khorramshahi earlier said: “The appeals court ... has reduced her jail sentence from eight years to two years of suspended sentence ... and she will soon be free.” In a closed hearing yesterday, the court’s judges noted that Iran and the United States “are not at war.”

She was initially given the lengthy prison term during a secret hearing that sparked a diplomatic incident between Washington and Tehran.

"The verdict of the previous court has been quashed," lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said. "Her punishment has been changed to a suspended two-year sentence and she will be out of prison."

The daughter of an Iranian father who lives in Fargo, N.D., and who acquired U.S. citizenship, Saberi moved to Iran six years ago and worked for various international news media including the BBC, FOX News and NPR. Arrested at the end of January, she was initially accused of working illegally as a journalist but was finally tried on a spying charge, one the Iranian authorities often use to silence journalists.

Several Iranian-American citizens, including journalists, have been arrested in Iran in recent years but Saberi is the first one to be tried and given a jail sentence. Her closed-door trial was held on April 13 and the sentence was issued five days later.

Iran was ranked 166th out of 173 countries in the latest Reporters sans frontières press freedom index. A wave of arrests on May 1brought the total number of journalists and bloggers currently held in Iran to 14. Three of them are women.

Roxana Saberi Released, Can Leave Iran Immediately

UPDATE, 9:30 a.m. Eastern: An American journalist jailed in Iran has been freed and can leave the country immediately, her lawyer said Monday after an appeals court suspended her eight-year prison sentence, according to the Associated Press.

Abdolsamad Khorramshahi says Roxana Saberi is "now out of jail." The 32-year-old dual American-Iranian national had been in detention for nearly three months. On April 18, Iran's Revolutionary Court charged her with spying for the United States, and sentenced her to eight years in prison.

Iran's judiciary said the appeals court, which heard her case on Sunday, had reduced her jail term to a suspended two-year sentence, said one of her lawyers, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi.

"She is entitled to leave Iran immediately," said human-rights lawyer Saleh Nikbakht.

An Iranian appeals court earlier today reduced Saberi's eight-year jail sentence to a suspended two-year term.

After the court's ruling, Khorramshahi said: “The appeals court ... has reduced her jail sentence from eight years to two years of suspended sentence ... and she will soon be free.” In a closed hearing yesterday, the court’s judges noted that Iran and the United States “are not at war.”

She was initially given the lengthy prison term during a secret hearing that sparked a diplomatic incident between Washington and Tehran.

"The verdict of the previous court has been quashed," lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said. "Her punishment has been changed to a suspended two-year sentence and she will be out of prison."

The daughter of an Iranian father who lives in Fargo, N.D., and who acquired U.S. citizenship, Saberi moved to Iran six years ago and worked for various international news media including the BBC, FOX News and NPR. Arrested at the end of January, she was initially accused of working illegally as a journalist but was finally tried on a spying charge, one the Iranian authorities often use to silence journalists.

Several Iranian-American citizens, including journalists, have been arrested in Iran in recent years but Saberi is the first one to be tried and given a jail sentence. Her closed-door trial was held on April 13 and the sentence was issued five days later.

Iran was ranked 166th out of 173 countries in the latest Reporters sans frontières press freedom index. A wave of arrests on May 1brought the total number of journalists and bloggers currently held in Iran to 14. Three of them are women.

Iranian Court Hears Saberi's Review, Promises Quick Decision

A three-judge panel heard Rozan Saberi's appeal argument today during a closed-door hearing in Terhan. The panel promised a "meticulous process," for Saberi, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in April for espionage, according to Iranian spokesman Alireza Jamshidi as quoted by IRNA.

Saberi's father was not allowed inside the hearing. He has been in Tehran since her sentence advocating for her rights.

The appeals court could take more than a day to issue its verdict, Jamshidi said as he condemned U.S. officials for their criticism of Iran's handling of Saberi's case.

"As the Europeans confess, the Americans have the worst human-rights record," Jamshidi said.

Media reports say Saberi looked "pale and gaunt" when she arrived for the closed-door hearing.

Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, Saberi's lawyer, said: "I do hope and I am optimistic she will be acquitted. There is a probability that the appeal verdict will be issued today. I guess that the appeals court would substantially reduce the sentence."

Professor Fouad Ajami of the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies told Edward Yeranian of VOANews that Saberi is not the first Iranian-American to be caught up in this type of politically motivated show-trial:

"Miss Saberi is just a victim of this drawn-out drama between the United States and Iran - I mean, this is the dilemma of Iranian-Americans, many of them who have nostalgia for their ancestral land, and they have gone to Iran, and they have been picked up by the security services," said Fouad Ajami. "Their trials have always been show-trials and their ordeal has always been just simply a play thing of the Iranian regime. The Iranians will do what they will; if they set her free, it is in the interests of the Iranians to set her free. If they keep her in jail it is because they want to torment the Americans, yet another day."

Ajami says he believes the recent overture by President Barack Obama to resume a dialogue with Iran, after 30 years, will not succeed.

"I think that the Obama Administration is going to learn that its approach to Iran is going to come to naught," he said. "In truth, the Iranians have precisely the relationship with the United States that they want: just enough enmity to serve as a glue for the regime and not enough enmity to be a threat to the regime"

Ajami says Irans' policy is decided by one man.

"Iran's choice lies in the hands of the Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Khamenei, and he shows no interest in accommodation with the United States," said Ajami. "It takes two, if you will, to make this accommodation, and the Iranians have absolutely no interest. They will taunt the Obama Administration; they will keep them waiting, and I do not expect any great break-through in the relationship between the US and Iran."

Iran's theocrats, he says, are content with the prevailing "atmosphere of antagonism with the United States and he says they are content with their ongoing drive to pursue a "nuclear option."

Iran to Hear Saberi's Appeal on Sunday, But Also Loses Vital Appeal Documents

An Iranian court will hear the appeal of imprisoned journalist Roxana Saberi on Sunday, her lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi said Saturday.

Khoramshahi told Nazila Fathi of The New York Times that he was optimistic that Saberi would win either an acquittal or a reduced sentence, the earlier date could complicate her defense by giving her second lawyer less time to review the case.

Ms. Saberi’s father said last week that he had hired a new lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, to defend Ms. Saberi along with her current lawyer, Mr. Khoramshahi. Mr. Saberi made the decision, he said, after he realized that another high-profile human rights lawyer was not allowed to meet with Ms. Saberi in prison to sign the paperwork for her appeal.

She eventually did sign the paperwork, which would allow her lawyers to look at her case file. But Mr. Nikbakht said Saturday that he was informed by the court that the paper she signed had been lost.

Mr. Nikbakht said he might not be able to defend Ms. Saberi if he was unable to read the case in time.

It is not clear how long it will take the court to render a ruling in the case of Saberi, who was sentenced to eight years in prison last month on espionage charges.

Iranian judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi had previously announced that the appeal would be heard behind closed doors with representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the intelligence ministry and lawyers association in attendance

Saberi had been on a humger strike. But on May 4, when her parents visited her in Tehran’s Evin prison, she agreed to begin eating again at her father’s insistence and took two spoonfuls of yogurt. She began the hunder strike on April 21.

Iranian officials told the BBC that the reporter was never on a hunger strike.

Roxana Saberi Ends Hunger Strike; Request for Bail and an Appeal Are Filed

Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist who is in a Tehran jail on a spying charge, has ended her hunger strike.

When Saberi’s parents visited her in Tehran’s Evin prison on May 4, she agreed to begin eating again at her father’s insistence and took two spoonfuls of yogurt. Yesterday evening, she confirmed to her parents during a phone call that she had decided to end the hunger strike she began on April 21.

Iranian officials told the BBC that the reporter was never on a hunger strike.

Through her father, who is in Iran, she expressed her gratitude for the international campaign of solidarity that has been waged on her behalf.

Saberi’s lawyers yesterday filed a request for her release on bail before the judge of the 28th chamber of the Tehran revolutionary court.

Iranian judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi announced yesterday that the appeal would be heard behind closed doors “in the course of next week” with representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the intelligence ministry and lawyers association in attendance.

“This is a travesty of justice,” Reporters sans frontières said. “Leading independent figures should be present at this appeal hearing. We call for Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi of the Human Rights Defenders Centre to be allowed to attend.”