Iran: Another imprisonment of journalists across the country - Aliyeh Motallebzadeh was sent to Evin Prison
Location: Iran, Tehran
Date: October 11, 2020
*This report was updated on January 10, 2022.
Journalist, women’s rights activist and photographer Aliyeh Motallebzadeh arrived at Evin prison to begin her sentence today. The Intelligence Ministry summoned and arrested her on November 26, 2016. She was released on 300-million-Toman bail conditionally. In 20017, the Revision Court of Tehran Province sentenced her to three years in prison. She was charged with collusion against national security and disseminating propaganda against the state.
On April 26, 2021, Aliyeh, who is also the vice president of the Association of Freedom of the Press in Iran, was deprived of making phone calls after she filed a complaint about holding detainees in solitary confinement.
On Monday, January 10, 2022, Aliyeh was transferred to Qarchak Prison upon the orders of Tehran’s Prosecutor.
This is not the first time that Aliyeh was tried to be intimidated. On October 16, 2016, agents of the Tehran Ministry of Intelligence raided her home without a permit. They confiscated her personal items as well as her husband’s and daughter’s personal belongings.
Aliyeh has been targeted by the Iranian government for a long time consistently. on August 15, 2017, she was sentenced to three years in prison by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court with charges of "conspiracy against national security" and "propaganda against the regime." Her sentence was approved in October 2019.
On July 18, 2021, Aliyeh mentioned the lack of prevention against COVID-19 in a telephone conversation with her husband Sadra Abdollahi. She said none of the prison officers cares about prisoners’ health and they refuse the danger by saying, "People are also dying from Covid-19 outside the prison. It doesn't matter if people are dying inside."
“My wife told me on the phone yesterday that Zeinab Hamrang had contracted Corona and that there is now great concern among the other prisoners in the women’s wing. Then today I was told that Sepideh Kashani has also tested positive,” he told DW. “The problem is that testing is not done routinely in the prison, but only when an inmate shows severe symptoms. That’s dangerous.”
CFWIJ condemns the imprisonment of journalist Aliyeh Motallebzadeh and demands her immediate release. Aliyeh is one of the fearless trailblazers who work for human and women’s rights undauntedly. She and eight other imprisoned journalists should be released from behind bars in Iran.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.
