Interview With The Times: Crippling bail is new weapon in regime’s war on journalists
At least 21 journalists have been arrested in Iran as the regimelaunches its latest crackdown on dissident activity in the pressbefore the presidential election in June.
Most of those arrested have since been released but unless they arevery brave or foolhardy, their careers in journalism are probablyover. Instead of filling its prisons with rebellious reporters, theTehran regime has hit on a more insidious method of muzzling thepress.
Those released were given bail of at least 1 billion rials (£55,000) —terms so punitive that many had to put up their homes as collateral. Aword out of place or any hint that they are working again and they canbe rearrested and their property seized. “Criminals accused of murder,theft and rape do not face the same ferocity from the judiciary insetting bail money,” said one journalist in Tehran.
Iran’s penal code suggests a bail rate equivalent to £5,500 for eachyear’s sentence a prisoner may face. But in recent months a newthreshold of £55,000 per year has been imposed on journalists, humanrights lawyers and other activists the regime judges a threat tonational security.
On January 27, Masoud Lavasani, a writer on social affairs, wascelebrating a friend’s wedding anniversary at a house in Tehran whenhis phone rang. “Don’t come home,” a neighbour warned. “The securityforces are at your house.” He has not been home since. Accused ofbeing part of a spy ring working with foreign media to undermine theGovernment, he spent four weeks on the run before fleeing to Turkey.
“This is an obsession for the regime. They want to strangle any hintof freedom of information. It is not just political reporters. Theatreand film critics have been arrested. Anyone with an audience issuspect,” Mr Lavasani said.
He was among those rounded up in 2009 after the government crackdownon opposition protests. Sentenced to eight years in jail, he wasreleased last year after suffering a stroke. Bail was set at acrippling £435,000. He and several relatives put up the deeds to theirhomes to secure his release.His wife, also a journalist, has been barred from working as well.Both have tried to eke out a living by writing under pseudonyms forthe handful of news outlets willing to hire them.
“They have strangled our livelihood,” Mr Lavasani said. “Every time Itried to write under a false name, the security forces would get windof it.”Unable to get his wife and young son out of Iran with him, Mr Lavasaniknows that returning to Tehran and certain jail is the only way he canspare his family from losing their home.
His wife receives daily calls from the authorities, while Iranianagents have got hold of his phone number in Turkey and called severaltimes threatening to track him down and kill him.
At 34, his career appears to be finished. Despite this, Mr Lavasaniretains hope that dissident journalism in Iran can survive.“No matter how badly they clamp down on us, new young reporters willkeep coming through,” he said. “The regime cannot keep everyonesilent.”
Hugh Tomlinson March 15 2013
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