Photojournalist Amir Sadeghi has been targeted for documenting police brutality, from arrests during the aftermath of the 2009 election to attacks on members of the public in Tehran’s open spaces.
Name: Amir Sadeghi
Born: January 4, 1988
Career: Photographer and journalist; worked with newspapers Farhang-e Ashti (“Culture of Reconciliation”) and Hamshahri-e Javan (“The Young Citizen”)
Charges: Propaganda against the regime and photographing an unauthorized gathering of young adults in a public park.
Amir Sadeghi was first arrested on 20 June 2009 for photographing a protest against the disputed 2009 presidential election. He was attacked by plainclothes policemen and then taken to Tehran’s Traffic Department, which had been converted to a temporary detention center during the unrest. Authorities also confiscated his camera and backpack.
Like many people detained that day, upon arrival at the detention center, Sadeghi was beaten up and then forced to endure two days in harsh conditions. He was then transferred to Evin Prison. “They pushed everyone, young and old, men and women, into police vans and drove them to Evin.” he told IranWire. “Evin was overcrowded, but surprisingly, some of those detained were not very distressed because they considered Evin a lesser evil than Kahrizak detention center, which had a reputation for torturing detainees. There was not enough space for everybody to sleep. Half of the detainees stood up until four in the morning so that the other half would take a nap and then they traded places.”
"As it happened," said Sadeghi, “my interrogator was a very logical man. Maybe I was lucky but not everybody in that crowd was.” He was released on bail, and although his wallet and watch were stolen while he was in Evin, after three weeks, the police returned his camera.
But, on February 6, 2010, Security Police agents entered the offices of Farhang-e Ashti and took Sadeghi away again.
“I was detained at the Security Police headquarters for eight days and was interrogated about my presence at the protests,” he said. Interrogators were polite and there was no beating. They searched my home and confiscated my computer, personal items and my camera.” He was transferred to Evin Prison and spent four days there, after which he was released on bail.
He was sentenced to two years in prison but the sentence was commuted to a fine.
In summer 2011, Sadeghi was again arrested after an incident at Tehran’s Water and Fire Park. Police attacked a group of women and men at the park after an impromptu water fight broke out among them. Sadeghi photographed both the playful incident and the subsequent clash. Once again, his computer and photography equipment were confiscated. He was released on bail and awaits his trial and sentencing.
This is part of IranWire’s series Crime: Journalism, a portfolio on the legal and political persecution of Iranian journalists and bloggers, published in both Persian and English.
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