During a recent trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran denied that Iran jails journalists, despite several high profile arrests in recent months, including Marzieh Rasouli, Saba Azarpeik and Washington Post journalist Jason Rezain. journalismisnotacrime.me, launched today, speaks out against these human rights abuses, supports Iranian journalists and raises awareness of threats against them.
In any country, it's important for journalists to be free to criticize the state and officials without fearing persecution, but in Iran the government systematically intimidates, arrests, imprisons and tortures them for doing much less, sending a clear message to Iranian citizens and journalists alike. Journalism is not a Crime will document these infringements and human rights abuses.
Last week, speaking to CNN’s Christine Amanpour, President Hassan Rouhani said that in Iran, people are not detained or imprisoned simply for their work as journalists. But Journalism is not a Crime is a testament to the truth: that reporters, editors, photographers, bloggers and citizen journalists are regularly jailed for spreading vital news, and that the government of Iran regards the free flow of information as a criminal activity.
Journalism is not a Crime is a comprehensive, multimedia database of journalists that have been targeted over the years by various Iranian governments. In the project’s first phase, the site will focus on journalists arrested following the disputed presidential election in 2009. It will then expand to include journalists arrested since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The final phase will include those journalists who were arrested before the Revolution.
The project builds on the work of IranWire, an independent news outlet that reports on Iranian affairs launched by Maziar Bahari, who was also arrested after the 2009 election. In July, Iranwire.com began publishing daily articles on the persecution of journalists in Iran. According to IranWire’s research, at least 230 journalists have been arrested on a variety of charges since 2009.
Journalism is not a Crime will also function as a cyber group for every journalist, blogger or citizen journalist who has ever been arrested by an Iranian government. Those featured on the site can update information on their profile, or those of other journalists, particularly those who are unable to post these updates themselves because they are in prison. The site will be moderated to prevent any defamatory commentary.
The site and related projects aim to train Iranian journalists, preparing them for potential eventual arrests and interrogation. It will be a platform for Iranian journalists to exchange news and ideas. It will also feature legal advice from prominent Iranian lawyers committed to teaching journalists exactly what their rights are according to Iranian and international law.
An open source site using the Wikipedia model, Journalism is not a Crime is an important tool for journalists, civil rights advocates and campaigners working to effect change in Iran. It will aim to improve the lives of journalists working in Iran, enabling them to hold authorities to account and foster a climate where free expression and the right to political participation can thrive.
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