“Press Freedom is a Human Right, Not A Western Principle”

Journalism is not a Crime, an online database of every journalist the Iranian government has thrown behind bars for publishing material it deems to be “inappropriate,” goes live this week. The site will feature hundreds of journalists that have been jailed since the Green Movement of 2009 and before, legal and psychological advice for reporters, as well as up-to-date news on arrests, censorship and other violations of the press.

In support of this, IranWire is running a series of interviews with human rights organizations, including Index on Censorship, Article 19 and the Committee to Protect Journalists, to hear their thoughts on the situation of press and journalistic freedom in Iran.

Melody Patry, senior advocacy officer at Index, was first to discuss the issue.

From Index on Censorship's perspective, what is the press freedom situation in Iran today?

Unfortunately the situation is not good at all. We were hopeful two years ago when President Rouhani was elected as president that things would improve but Iran remains one of the world’s worst jailers of media workers. There are more than 50 bloggers and journalists jailed in Iran and the country is consistently ranked bottom of censorship indexes, whether by Freedom House or Reporters Without Borders. The trend with press freedom, much like artistic freedom of expression, has sadly not improved.

How is civil society, both inside and outside of Iran, supporting journalists and advancing their cause?

There are various initiatives by civil society, as well as the international media, to raise awareness of the arrest and harassing of journalists and bloggers. At Index, we try to regularly publish news and analysis from the region. There are also documentaries touching on the issue, all of which we hope will put pressure on the authorities to release reporters.

People who are vocal inside Iran or voice controversial opinions are being sentenced and arrested and this is unacceptable. For instance, the young Iranians who were harassed and arrested after publishing their version of the Happy song – this reflects the situation of press freedom in Iran. There were dire consequences for an innocuous video.

How can the international media have an impact? What more needs to be done? 

It’s difficult to say as it’s on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes when the international community is vocal about countries trying to silence their journalists and activists, the countries in question view it as a quasi-power struggle and means they react by protecting their national sovereignty. However it’s still paramount in all cases to voice our disagreement with the arrests of bloggers and journalists in Iran and elsewhere. We can’t fail them — we have to continue raising awareness.

Can you highlight a few cases that Index focuses on?

We continue to be very concerned with the detainment of Jason Rezaian, as well as the sentencing last week of Atena Farghadani to 12 years and nine months behind bars. We’re also looking closely at the cases of human rights activists Atena Daemi and Omid Ali Shenas. The same day that Farghadani was sentenced, they were each sentenced to 14 years and 10 years in prison.

In the past, if you were a journalist you had some protection but since 2003, Iran’s press freedom ratings have continued to worsen and the number of jailed journalists has risen, both Iranian and foreign. There are also an increasing number of secret trials that go on with little or no transparency, which is a very worrying development.

In Iran, is the line between journalist and human rights activist blurry?

Yes absolutely. This is why they’re both accused of the same things, such as spying, being traitors or threats to national security. In Iran, journalists and activists are very rarely tried and charged for their actual actions.

When he was elected, President Rouhani promised greater press freedom and a better climate for free expression, yet this has not materialized. Why is that?

It might be an attempt to not come across as being weak. I think this is particularly the case for Jason Rezaian – he didn’t want to appear to be ceding to Western pressure. However this is really detrimental to Iran’s image, especially at a time when it’s trying to appear more open and modern — jailing journalists, both Iranian and foreign, does not send that message. I don’t understand why he didn’t make a stronger stand.

What needs to happen to change the landscape of journalistic freedom in Iran?

A combination of factors: Firstly, support from the international community. It’s easy to feel isolated if you’re a distant voice in Iran so it’s crucial we show journalists in Iran that we care, and especially independent journalists. It’s fundamental to continue to openly support the work of journalists and to be very clear that censorship and the arrest of journalists and human rights defenders is unacceptable. And, this is not because it is a Western standard but because it is a global human rights standard.

Secondly, we must continue to raise awareness at every available opportunity. This means that every time we talk about the nuclear deal or another geopolitical issue, we also discuss the situation of press freedom, the deteriorating environment for freedom of expression in the country and to make sure it’s not separate from other discussions about Iran. We can’t afford to tolerate the current situation.