Writer and literary critic Javad Mahzadeh was arrested as part of the 2009 clampdown that followed the disputed presidential election. Charged with activities against national security and spreading falsehood, Mahzadeh served close to a year in prison.
Name: Javad Mahzadeh
Born: 1978
Career: Journalist and literary critic; works for Shargh and other newspapers.
Charges: Activities against national security and spreading falsehood.
Javad Mahzadeh was arrested on October 21, 2009 as he was on his way to work. The same afternoon, security agents accompanied him to his home, confiscated his computer and placed him in detention.
On January, 2010 almost 100 journalists wrote to the head of Iran’s judiciary, calling for his release. “It has been close to 80 days since the writer and literary critic Javad Mahzadeh was arrested,” the letter said, “despite the fact that he is known as a moderate. He is a young and unassuming servant of culture for this country.”
Despite the public plea for his release, Mahzadeh was sentenced to four years in prison. His mother appealed to judicial authorities, including Chief Justice of Iran Ayatollah Amoli Larijani, to grant Mahzadeh a furlough from prison, but was repeatedly ignored. “We always believed that furlough was a right to which prisoners were entitled. But as hard as we have tried our requests have been ignored.”In June 2010, 86 journalists and writers added their voices to his mother’s, appealing to Ayatollah Larijani to grant Mahzadeh his leave of absence.
In August 2010, former president Mohammad Khatami and the former Islamic Culture and Guidance minister who worked for Khatami’s reformist administration visited Mahzadeh’s parents at their home to offer their support. Eventually, after 11 months in prison, a furlough was granted. He returned to prison and, in February 2011, was pardoned on the Shia holy day Eid al-Ghadeer.
After his release, Mahzadeh published two novels and now works as a literary critic for various newspapers, including Shargh.
This is part of IranWire’s series Crime: Journalism, a portfolio on the legal and political persecution of Iranian journalists and bloggers, published in both Persian and English.
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