Abadan Journalists Call for End to Violence and Release of Colleagues

A group of journalists has released a joint statement calling for "an end to street crackdowns on vulnerable people" and condemning “violence” against defenseless citizens.

The statement’s signatories also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of journalists who have reported on economic deprivation in Khuzestan, sparking protests on issues from water shortages to the Metropol building collapse.

The full text of this statement, which has been provided to IranWire, is as follows:

"Following the murder of Mahsa Amini, the Kurdish girl from Saqqez, in Tehran, the streets of the country became the scene of peaceful protests to which the response was unbelievable. Apart from what is currently happening in the streets, we, a group of journalists, artists and civil activists in Abadan, while condemning any violence against defenseless citizens, demand an end to any violent street confrontation with protesters and the immediate and unconditional release of journalists who have always been the voice of Khuzestan's historical deprivation.

Signed by: Mandana Sadeghi, Hossein Mirzaei, Ehsan Kushamehr, Behzad Vaziri, Mehdi Abbasi, Rohi Sekhavatzadeh, Mohsen Etimadifar, Siavash Jalilian and Arash Ghaleh-Golgolab.