National Press Club Outraged at Imprisonment of Journalist in Iran

National Press Club (NPC) President Mark Hamrick expressed outrage at reports of the recent imprisonment of Iranian Blogger Kouhyar Goudarzi and his mother.  Last year, the NPC awarded Goudarzi with the 2010 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award after he “had been incarcerated for months for the ‘crime’ of speaking his mind.”  A month later, Goudarzi had been released from prison.

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Reza Khandan, the husband of imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, discussed the increasingly disrespectful treatment and physical abuse by prison staff toward the prisoners and visitors.  Khandan recently went to visit Sotoudeh and endured a five-hour detention with his two children and sister-in-law.

Journalist Issa Saharkhiz is currently serving a three year prison term for his activities during the 2009 protests, however his sentenced was recently increased by two years.  Saharkhiz’s son, Mehdi Saharkhiz told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran,“The new ruling against him is like the other ones. It displays the personal animosity of Mr. Khamenei against my father for his criticisms of Khamenei. Now they are trying to abuse him in whatever way they can and keep him in prison longer.”

Additionally, authorities in the city of Tabriz are refusing burial of Baha’is in accordance with Baha’i law and have instead reported that the burials of Baha’is will be under Muslim rites.