Story of an Iranian journalist؛ who has been followed by Iranian government to be prosecuted
Iranian news agencies specifically news websites from Iran’s security forces broadcasted a canard about Mr. Masoud Lavasani saying that he has been working with satellite network namely BBC Persian, known as anti-revolutionary.
The allegation was spread that he has left Iran illegally to join his coworkers in London which has subsequently made BBC happy to have Mr.Lavasani in the U.K. Security forces Etela’at had tried to arrest him several times but didn’t succeed, because he planned to exit the country illegally as he knew he was being traced. However, the truth about Mr.Lavasani’s case and most of other Iranian journalists is something different. Mr. Lavasani is currently in Turkey and has rejected the allegation of his illegal travel to London. He has claimed that arrests and suppressions of Iranian journalists for anonymous reasons is the government’s unfair justification for suppressing Iranian journalist. He has strongly rejected the idea of being related to foreign networks such as BBC and if there is any contact with any international news agencies he said is due to the work he does as a journalist which is perfectly legal and acceptable within the profession of journalism.
At the moment Mr. Lavasani lives under lot of pressure and faces dangerous situation. His mobile phone has been tracked by Iran’s security forces through which he has been disturbed by phone calls from the security police that has made him to change his residence few times. Mr.Lavasani has been a target for the government since the recent mass arrest of journalists in Iran. Etela’at distributed a name list of journalists who should be arrested for working against the Islamic system. Mr. Lavasani’s name was in that list. He is a writer, web logger and a journalist who was arrested in …88 due to Iran’s security force claim that his work was against the principles of Islamic state. Accordingly, judge Pirabbasi sentenced him to 8 and half year prison term and deprivation of working as a journalist.
The court of appeal reduced his sentence to 6 years and 10 years deprivation from being a journalist. He had professionally started his work as a journalist in 2001 where he worked as chief editor of Sobhe Sadegh weekly newspaper. Before that he worked as political analyst in Keyhan newspaper. Later on he worked in Jame-Jam newspaper under supervision of Mrs. Razieh Tojar in which he used to write minimalist stories. He received the prize for best novelist form Hozeh Honari institution in March 2008. He is one the few well-known journalists who started his career in a governmental newspaper like Keyhan continued his work against censorship.
He was fired from Fars news agency which is a governmental service among other 40 journalists in winter 2008. During his detention in Evin prison he encountered nervous breakdown and suffered from Migraine. He had serious nerve attack which caused him a temporary blindness in June 2009 for which he was taken to Farabi Hospital and kept there for one month and returned to Evin but in an isolation room. In July 2009 Tehran’s prosecutor affirmed his sick leave. He went back to prison after his leave. His sentence was gradually reduced to 2 years due to different occasional impunities which granted him some mercies.
He finished his sentence in August 2011 and was formally released from Evin prison. Human Rights agencies in Iran reported he was admitted in hospital to undergo a surgery on his neck which was the result of 2 years prison. In January 2012, 3 weeks after his wife detention Mrs. Fatemeh Kheradmand, he was asked to introduce himself to Shahid Moghadasi prosecution office in Evin prison where he was interrogated for 10 hours in front of his small child. In March 2012, media covered his disappearance, but the next day it was revealed that he had been found unconscious in one of Tehran’s street and been taken to hospital by some passengers. Few days after his father declared interviewing with some news agencies that his son is under tremendous pressure and has any kind of security in his life.
Mr. Lavasani has refuged in Turkey like hundreds of other Iranian journalists who have been oppressed and forced to leave Iran. The government of Iran’s level of tolerance towards journalists and media is incredibly low as it has gained the highest percentage of journalist detainees in the world. I wish the human rights defenders including states and organizations support journalists to be able to work freely. Tolerance and patience to views of different voices especially journalists will pave the way for development of a country which will provide people with best facilities and prevent despotism against people.
Universal Tolerance Organization- on 5th of March 2013
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