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Iran:
Film Journalists Arrested

See Update

End of February, the "Iranian Information Administration" (which equals the FBI in the US) has arrested five film journalists:

— Kambiz Kahe, film critic since 1988 and a contributor to publications like Film Monthly Magazine, World of Pictures, Film International, Cinema Jahan. In 1994, he had received The Best Movie Critic Award from the Iranian government.
— Mohammad Abdi, film journalist since 1991 and the editor-in-chief of Honareh Haftom (magazine).
— Saeed Mosstaghassi, a contributor to Weekly Cinema Magazine.
— Amir Ezatti, movie reviewer for television.
— Yasamin Soufi, film music critic.

They were arrested at their homes, then transferred to an unknown place. After two weeks, the police department explained that they would have been arrested "because of having a collection of foreign movies". According to this police statement, these movies would contain scenes of nudity, which would be against the Islamic law. By writing about these movies the journalists would be trying "to corrupt Iranian young people". According to a conservative newspaper (Jomhouri Eslami), the concerned writers were on the United States payroll to promote the films in Iran.

The journalists were arrested at the very time that a delegation from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights was investigating arbitrary arrests in Iran.

For more information, see the website of Reporters Without Borders, www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=5058.

FIPRESCI researches this incident and will decide appropriate means of reaction.

Update April 24, 2003

As far as news do reach us, some of the imprisoned journalists have been released in April. Amir Ezatti is still in prison. However, new arrests are reported. Behzad Khorshidi (editor-in-chief of the Film and Cinema Magazine) has been arrested already one month ago. Sina Motallebi, film critic, editor of a web magazine (www.rooznegar.com, the site appears actually as empty) has been arrested recently. Subject of the charges against him: the contents of his website, interviews with foreign press and his writings in general.

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