The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urges the Iranian authorities to release journalist Hasan Abbasi immediately and unconditionally, drop any charges against him and put an end to “the practice of arbitrarily locking up members of the press for doing their jobs.”
“Authorities must ensure that all journalists are able to cover newsworthy issues without fear that they will be arrested,” CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in a statement on May 4.
Abbasi, a freelance investigative reporter who covers news in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, was arrested on April 30 following a complaint filed by Hormozgan province’s governor over his reporting, according to news reports, amid a crackdown on dissent and the media.
It remains unclear where Abbasi is being held or whether he has been formally charged.
Reports said that the complaint against Abbasi was filed in response to his coverage in the semi-official outlet AshkanNews of retired sailors who had failed to receive their pensions.
Four days before his arrest, Abbasi posted a video on social media saying that he was also facing another complaint filed by the local office of the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Trade accusing him of spreading “fake news” in his reporting on the ministry.
In December 2022, Abbasi was reportedly detained for his critical coverage of alleged government corruption, was held for a week and charged with disturbing the public order and spreading false news on social media.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Iranian authorities have arrested more than 95 journalists since anti-government protests erupted across the country following the September death in police custody of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini.
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