Posted on 10/20/2004 7:31:37 PM PDT by nuconvert
European online press rally to the support of five imprisoned online journalists
20.10.2004
20 leading european online news sites have rallied to join Reporters Without Borders in support of colleagues in Iran as the fifth journalist was arrested on 18 October in a crackdown against the online media.
They are calling for the release of Shahram Rafihzadeh, Hanif Mazroi, Rozbeh Mir Ebrahimi, Omid Memarian and Javad Gholam Tamayomi.
"We want to demonstrate our solidarity with our Iranian colleagues, imprisoned simply for doing their jobs," the media said in a statement. "At a time when the Internet has become one of the main sources of news, protecting online journalists and publications is the key to defending press freedom."
Javad Gholam Tamayomi, journalist with the daily Mardomsalari (Democracy) was arrested on 18 October 2004, after responding to a summons from the 9th chamber of the Tehran prosecutor's office.
Omid Memarian, journalist and weblog creator, was arrested on 10 October.
Shahram Rafihzadeh, cultural editor of the newspaper Etemad (Confidence), was arrested on 7 September.
Hanif Mazroi, former journalist with several reformist publications, was arrested on 8 September.
Rozbeh Mir Ebrahimi, former political editor of Etemad, was picked up at his home on 27 September.
The five journalists are accused of contributing to reformist news websites. In the past few months, the regime has also tightened Net filtering, blocking access to several dozen online publications and political weblogs.
In a country where television, radio and newspapers are heavily censored, the Internet is, despite censorship, the only source of independent news and information.
14 October 2004 - Iran New arrest of a journalist contributing to reformist websites
7 October 2004 - Iran Mounting threats to journalists
29 September 2004 - Iran Another reformist journalist arrested
18 August 2004 - Iran Student gets nearly four years for criticising regime online
6 August 2004 - Iran Journalists boycott the official press day and step up their struggle
3 August 2004 - Iran Newspaper editor freed on bail
29 July 2004 - Iran Justice system delivers new affront in the Zahra Kazemi case
27 July 2004 - Iran Reporters Without Borders backs journalists' protest calling for press freedom
27 July 2004 - Iran Sham trial deplored in Kazemi murder case
19 July 2004 - Iran Two dailies suspended in new attack on reformist press
16 July 2004 - Iran Reporters Without Borders denounces "disgraceful" banning of foreigners from trial of photojournalist's alleged killers
8 July 2004 - Iran A year after the death of Zahra Kazemi, Reporters Without Borders fears impunity will prevail
28 June 2004 - Iran Payam-e mardom- e Kurdestan shut down
15 June 2004 - Iran Mostafa Sabti released at the end of his prison sentence
8 June 2004 - Iran Reza Alijani, laureate of the Reporters Without Borders-Fondation de France 10th press freedom award, will begin his second year in detention
20 May 2004 - Iran Correspondent for The Guardian expelled
19 May 2004 - Iran Two journalists freed on bail
11 May 2004 - Iran Appeal court confirms 18-month jail sentence against journalist Ensafali Hedayat
7 May 2004 - Iran Concealment, confusion and denial of justice
30 April 2004 - Iran Reporters Without Borders calls for law be applied and jailed journalists freed
20 April 2004 - Iran Reporters Without Borders outraged at Siamak Pourzand's treatment in hospital
10 March 2004 - Iran Unfair trial and illegal imprisonment
2 March 2004 - Iran Journalist Emadoldin Baghi under threat of new prison sentence
24 February 2004 - Iran Conservatives muzzle the Internet during elections
19 February 2004 - Iran Conservatives censor reformist press on the eve of their parliamentary "coup"
9 February 2004 - Iran Authorities urged to stop harassing journalists and allow free coverage of the electoral crisis
3 February 2004 - Iran Islamic Republic urged to heed UN rapporteur's findings
20 January 2004 - Iran Reporters Without Borders voices concern to Canada and EU about stalled justice in Zahra Kazemi case
19 January 2004 - Iran Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of independent journalist
12 January 2004 - Iran Ten jailed Iranian journalists start the New Year in harsh prison conditions
Reporters without borders are a bunch of nut jobs, although at least this time the journalists deserve to be defended.
But what kind of twisted language refers to the Iranian Mullahs as "Conservatives"?
Heavens knows the Iranian people need all the help and support they can get. But this sort of Orwellian language isn't really very helpful.
They are calling for the release of Shahram Rafihzadeh, Hanif Mazroi, Rozbeh Mir Ebrahimi, Omid Memarian and Javad Gholam Tamayomi.
"We want to demonstrate our solidarity with our Iranian colleagues, imprisoned simply for doing their jobs," the media said in a statement. "At a time when the Internet has become one of the main sources of news, protecting online journalists and publications is the key to defending press freedom."
...calling for the release of .... want to demonstrate our solidarity with our Iranian colleagues ...
All nice words. Very intellectual and European for sure.
Exactly what do these "supporters" expect to happen now?
Are they for one of those disgusting, Bush type "pre-emptive" strikes into another country, to put some action behind those lofty words of protest and solidarity?
I suspect not.
But if/when the Iranian journalists are executed by the Iranian mullahs, they will undoubtedly generate a lot of hot air and lofty words as they lodge their "protestations" with the Iranian embassy in London.
European girlie men never seem to be able to understand that protestations (diplomacy) must be backed by no-kidding threats (military action), or it's all just a lot of European hot air.
They're at least taking some sort of a stand. The rest of the international press is sitting with their hands over their mouths. Their colleagues are sitting in jails in Iran, Cuba, China, Philippines,etc.. Where's the outcry?
In most, if not all, European countries you can go to jail or be fined for printing opinions not popular with the establishment.
LOL Good point. Something is always better than nothing I guess. The international press is probably distracted by their need to constantly report on the "evil Americans and their dastardly deeds".
Yes. Though I'm pretty sure most journalists in Europe aren't tortured or given life sentences. Or both.
A difference in degree, not in kind. And they'll be given a life sentence on the installment plan if they persist.
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