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In a statement Wednesday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an NGO, urged the Iranian authorities to release arrested journalist and labor activist, Amir-Abbas Azarmvand, and drop the security charges against him.
“Iran’s continued jailing of journalists for doing their jobs is an outrageous form of censorship that must end,” said Sherif Mansour, the CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator.
CPJ in its statement said(link is external) it had emailed Alireza Miryousefi, head of media relations at Iran’s United Nations mission asking for a comment but had not received a reply. Iran Wire, a web-based news forum, cited Wednesday “an informed source” that intelligence ministry agents who arrested Azarmvand at his father’s house had a court order citing a charge of ‘propaganda against the regime’ and had taken Azarmvand to Evin prison in Tehran.
Azarmvand, who has worked on labor stories for the SMT, an economics newspaper affiliated to the ministry of industry, mines and trade, has often criticized government policy. He was arrested in 2018 and 2020 over participating in labor protests.
In a statement Wednesday, the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC), one of Iran’s oldest trade unions and which has over 17,000 members, condemned Azarmvand’s arrest. Iran was ranked 174 out of 180 countries for the current year in the World Press Freedom Index compiled Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Source: Iran International
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