New York, May 2, 2002—CPJ condemns the recent sentencing of
Iranian reformist journalist Ahmed Zeid-Abadi, a writer for the newspaper
Hamshahri, to 23 months in prison.
On April 29, The Associated Press quoted Zeid-Abadi's wife as saying
that he was originally charged in August 2000 with "insulting Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei and publishing lies against the Islamic
establishment for the purpose of disturbing public opinion." The charges
came after he gave a series of lectures at several Iranian universities,
according to a CPJ source.
He was not convicted but spent seven months in prison before being
released on bail. Authorities did not pursue the case until this week.
The verdict seems prompted by a recent interview that Zeid-Abadi granted
to the daily newspaper Bonyan newspaper, in which he condemned
Palestinian suicide bombings. He also said he supported United Nations
Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, the so-called land for peace
resolutions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which the
Iranian government opposes, a local source told CPJ.
News of Zeid-Abadi's prison sentence follows an April 28 report by
IRNA, Iran's official state news agency, that Jalal Jalali-Zadeh,
head of the weekly Sirvan, and Mostafa Kavakebian director
of the reformist daily Mardom Salari, were summoned on Saturday,
April 27, and Sunday, April 28, respectively, to appear before the
Press Court, which hears most cases relating to journalists and publications
based in Tehran. The reasons for the summonses are unclear.
Zeid-Abadi has previously written for the reformist daily Azad,
closed in April 2000, and the newspaper Ettela'at.
He has appealed the court's verdict and is currently free.
According to CPJ research, 48 publications have been closed since
a crackdown on the press began in April 2000. At least three Iranian
journalists are currently imprisoned for their work.
