Iran: End the press crackdown

New York, July, 17, 2009-- During a speech and sermon delivered at Tehran University today, former president and cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called for reconciliation, the release of imprisoned protesters, and an end to restrictions on the press and free speech. The Committee to Protect Journalists had this statement:

"We're encouraged by any public call for greater press freedom in Iran, and hope not only for a more open debate but also to the release of the many Iranian journalists who have been jailed in the post-election clampdown," said Joel Simon, executive director of CPJ. "With around 37 journalists in jail, Iran has surpassed China as the world's leading jailer of journalists."

July 17, 2009 4:00 PM ET | Permalink