Iran arrests journalists during presidential election campaign

An Iranian newspaper has denounced the arrest of four journalists during the presidential election campaign, claiming the arrests were staged by “a conservative candidate,” further dampening public interest in voting.

In an article published on Saturday, the newspaper highlighted parliamentary speaker and presidential candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and detailed how three of the arrested whistleblowers were directly involved in exposing cases involving him.

Experts interviewed by the Tehran daily Ham-Mihan believe that these measures, which appeared to be aimed at silencing whistleblowers and boosting Ghalibaf’s candidacy, have ironically backfired, as the whistleblowers are well-known figures and thus the measures appear more like attempts to suppress dissent.

“In recent years, these arrested journalists have revealed information about one of the candidates that appears to be valid. Moreover, they were arrested during the election period. This has fuelled speculation that the arrests were staged to benefit one of the main fundamentalist candidates in the election,” lawyer Kambiz Nowrouzi told Ham-Mihan.

“In my view, this measure serves neither the interests of the judiciary nor those of the candidate it is intended to help. Instead, it exacerbates the crisis and raises questions about why punitive measures are being taken now and not earlier,” Iranian journalist and political activist Abbas Abdi told Ham-Mihan.

“Failure to address the (whistleblowers’) revelations could trigger a crisis that would, like a last-minute blow, significantly damage the electoral climate,” Abdi said.

Ghalibaf has since denied the allegations and stated in an interview: “These cases were heard in different courts, and private plaintiffs were involved. I have not personally filed any complaints against the media.”

Those arrested include journalists and whistleblowers Vahid Ashtari, Yashar Soltani, Saba Azarpeik and Hadi Kasaeizadeh.

Security forces arrested social media activists and whistleblowers Vahid Ashtari will begin his prison sentence on Thursday, shortly after the publication of documents incriminating Galibaf. Ashtari has made public allegations of corruption against Ghalibaf and his associates. In April 2022, Ashtari’s revelations triggered the Baby equipment scandalwhich led to calls for Ghalibaf’s resignation and a renewed investigation into alleged corruption in his family.

Earlier this month, The judiciary arrested journalists and whistleblowers Saba Azarpeik and Yashar Soltani to serve their remaining sentences.

In 2016, Memari News, led by well-known whistleblower Yashar Soltani, reported that Tehran’s Lavizan Park was closed for several days during his tenure as mayor to hold Ghalibaf’s daughter’s wedding reception. The report detailed how municipal resources were used, including lighting the park at the expense of local authorities in Tehran’s fourth district.

In 2019, Soltani was imprisoned for exposing financial irregularities within the Tehran municipality during Ghalibaf’s tenure and leaking information about the wedding.

The husband of the imprisoned Journalist Saba Azarpeik claims that conservative politician Ghalibaf, together with former MP Mohsen Dehnavi, has initiated legal action against her.

Hadi Kasaeizadeh, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Meydan-e Azadi, was arrested on Friday on charges of “revealing details of the death of Nika Shakrami, a 16-year-old who was murdered by Iranian security forces in 2022 amid nationwide protests.”

“While the frequent arrest of journalists has become a commonplace in the country’s news in recent years, the timing of such arrests on the eve of the presidential election casts a grim shadow over the upcoming event. This could potentially fuel suspicions and rumors that certain election candidates may seek to conceal information or suppress dissenting voices,” Ham-Mihan wrote.