IRANIAN/AMERICAN reporter Roxana Saberi was freed on May 11 after four months in prison in Tehran. She was initially arrested for buying a bottle of wine, then charged with working as a reporter without a permit, before finally being accused of spying for America and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment (last issue). The sentence was cut to two years suspended in the wake of a high profile international campaign.

Iran reporters driven into hiding

INTERNATIONAL press watchdogs have condemned the Iranian regime’s treatment of the media after the disputed national elections. Foreign reporters were banned from leaving their offices to cover opposition rallies and visa permits granted to cover the elections were not renewed, forcing reporters to leave the country.

The BBC reported its Farsi-language broadcasts on the political situation were electronically blocked. Foreign news websites were also blocked.

BBC correspondent Jon Leyne was ordered to leave, accused of filing “false news and reports, ignoring impartiality, supporting the insurgents, trampling the rights of the Iranian nation, fanning the unrest and also provoking public opinion”.

Some journalists faced even harsher treatment. Maziar Bahari, a reporter for US magazine Newsweek, was detained on June 19. ITN international editor Bill Neely and his camera operator were beaten by riot police while trying to film a march.

According to reports 23 journalists and bloggers had been imprisoned after one week of the protests and many have gone into hiding, including the chair of the Association of Iranian Journalists, Ali Mazroui, and others in the union leadership.