The Reporters Without Borders association, the National Union of Journalists (SNJ), the Franco-German channel Arte and the Graduate School of Journalism (ESJ) in Lille, in the north of France, called on Tuesday to release the journalist Iranian Vahid Shamsoddinnezhad, one month after his arrest in Iranian Kurdistan.
Since the arrest of Vahid Shamsoddinnezhad in Iran more than a month ago, his wife Reyhaneh has had very little news. She lives in France and the rare information she has comes from her family in Iran. The journalist was able to telephone from his place of detention. “ He called my mother, his brothers and his father, testifies his wife at the microphone of RFI. Each time he calls different people. It’s a call that lasts a minute, he asks for our news and that’s it, because he can’t talk about his situation “.
According to the latest news, Vahid Shamsoddinnezhad is being held in Tehran, in Evin prison, where many protesters and journalists are imprisoned. Reyhaneh hopes for her husband’s early release. In the meantime, she has to take care of their 17-month-old son Ali. “ I have to live normally because of Ali, thanks to Ali… He’s small and I don’t think he understands very well what’s going on, but I have to be there for him. I ask anyone who can resolve the situation to help us “. Reynaheh decided after a month to publicize the case to try to get things moving. She received many messages of support.
Mobilization of the profession
The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) asked ” immediate government intervention » French to demand the release of the Iranian journalist, who just graduated in September from the school of journalism in Lille. “ Stopped in Saqqez (west), in Iranian Kurdistan, on September 28,” “ Vahid Shamsoddinnezhad was just practicing his trade “, deplores the union.
For its part, Arte asked for his release, and specified that the journalist, living “ in France, in a regular situation with his wife since 2020 “, was ” mandated by the company Keyi Productions » and the editorial staff of the Franco-German channel « to cover events shaking Iran “. ” Vahid Shamsoddinnezhad filed, on September 24, 2022, Arte’s accreditation letter and the details of his French press card with the authorities in Tehran “, added the chain. ” In the days that followed, he was able to carry out two telephone interviews and a video subject for the editorial staff of Arte Journal. He is now being held in Tehran and is under investigation. “.
Reporters Without Borders, for its part, indicated that it was ” fully mobilized to obtain his release and that of the 43 other journalists imprisoned in Iran.
The protest movement continues
The protest movement that has shaken Iran for more than a month and a half continued unabated on Tuesday, despite intensifying repression and the start of trials of those arrested, some facing the penalty of death.
The demonstrations, unprecedented in their scale and nature since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and described as riots by the Iranian authorities, were triggered by the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini. This 22-year-old Iranian Kurd had been arrested three days earlier by the morality police, who accused her of having violated the strict dress code of the Islamic Republic, imposing in particular the wearing of the veil in public.
Authorities last week warned protesters it was time to get off the streets, but protests continue unabated, with rallies in residential areas, universities and on major avenues.