Coinciding with World Press Freedom Day, the monthly report of the Defending Free Flow Of Information (DeFFI) on the suppression of media and journalists in April 2024 (13 Farvardin 1403 – 11 Ordibehesht 1403) was released. This report was prepared based on 44 newly documented media cases by researchers of this organization and a total of 49 updated media cases.
The findings of this report are based on DeFFI’s conversations with informed sources, reports published in partner media, statements by officials and state media, and statistical analysis of collected data.
However, the statistics and events recorded in this report only include data that DeFFI was able to collect, verify, and document. Due to the multi-layered mechanisms of repression in Iran, the number of violations of the right to free access to information for Iranian citizens and the number of media, journalists, and citizen journalists subjected to repression by the Islamic Republic of Iran are likely higher than the statistics and events recorded in this report.
In this report, some documented cases are only reflected as statistics to protect the security of journalists and prevent increased pressure on them. The details of these cases will not be published publicly and will only be provided in human rights reports to a number of international organizations. Media or human rights organizations that need details of these cases for their research and reports can contact DeFFI managers via email at info@deffi.org.
Iranian media and journalists experienced one of the most extensive targeted and organized repressions by the Islamic Republic in April 2024; judicial and security confrontations that had significant connections to political and social events of the past month.
The continuation of the war in Gaza, the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, the extensive and bloody conflict of Jaish ul-Adl militants with military and security forces in Sistan and Baluchestan, the return of morality police vans to the streets and the start of a new round of judicial and security confrontations with women opposing mandatory hijab, missile and drone attacks by the IRGC from Iran on Israel, devastating floods in southern and southeastern Iran, Israel’s attack on a military base in Isfahan, and widespread reactions to the death sentence issued for Toomaj Salehi, made April one of the most turbulent media months in recent years.
In the most significant event of April, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel came to the brink of full-scale war. Alongside controlled military conflicts between the two countries, the battle of narratives became an important part of the alarming tensions between the Islamic Republic and Israel.
During this period, the Islamic Republic initiated one of the most extensive campaigns of producing fake news and misleading narratives about the IRGC attack on Israel through its media and pseudo-media. At the same time, judicial and security institutions of the Islamic Republic, to prevent the official narrative from being challenged, documented a widespread wave of summonses, judicial cases, and threats against journalists and citizen journalists. DeFFI confirms that at least nine Iranian journalists were summoned or threatened with arrest by security institutions in this regard.
April 2024 began with the continued imprisonment of at least six journalists and media activists in Iran’s prisons and detention centers. Vida Rabbani in Evin prison, Nasrin Hosseini in Bojnord prison, Kamyar Fakour, Rouhollah Nakhai, and Mehdi Afsharnik in Evin prison, and Ali Tasnimi in Shapour Detention Center in Tehran were in detention and prison at the start of this month.
In April, judicial and security confrontations by the Islamic Republic with Iranian journalists increased by more than double (105%) compared to the same period last month, marking the highest increase in suppression since the beginning of 2024.
Based on documented cases by DeFFI, in April (13 Farvardin 1403 – 11 Ordibehesht 1403), 35 journalists or media managers – including seven women and 28 men – endured the security and judicial confrontations of the Islamic Republic. This number was 25 in January, 35 in February, and 17 journalists or media managers in March.
Within a month, the Islamic Republic arbitrarily arrested at least seven journalists, threatened 10 journalists with arrest after receiving phone calls from security institutions, summoned seven journalists through judicial and security institutions, filed judicial cases against five journalists, and unidentified individuals shot at a parked car and the home of a media activist in Yasuj.
In April’s court hearings, two journalists were collectively sentenced to five months in prison, two years of travel ban, two years of social media activity ban, two years of exile, and two semesters of university education ban under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code and the application of the latest issued sentence in each case. One journalist who had previously been sentenced to prison was arrested and sent to prison to serve the sentence this month.
The judicial and security institutions of the Islamic Republic violated the legal rights of journalists under prosecution at least 41 times in one month. This amount more than doubled compared to the same period last month. The number of violations in media cases was 33 in January, 42 in February, and 20 in March.
The most frequent violations by judicial and security institutions in media cases that DeFFI documented included threats of arrest and disruption of professional activities (13 cases), preventing detained journalists from meeting their families (four cases), denial of legal counsel after arrest (eight cases), psychological torture (two cases, including one instance of psychological torture through sexual harassment), and keeping detained journalists in inhumane conditions in detention centers (two cases).
In April (13 Farvardin 1403 – 11 Ordibehesht 1403), the suppression of media and their managers by the Islamic Republic also increased significantly, similar to journalists.
Within a month, five media managers and 13 media outlets, messaging services, and publications endured judicial and security confrontations by the Islamic Republic. This amount increased by more than four times (333%) compared to the same period last month.
In 30 days, political and media courts found four media outlets guilty in separate media cases, filed judicial cases against three media outlets, issued verdicts against four media outlets in criminal courts, and at least one news website was filtered in Iran.
Based on documented cases by DeFFI, in April – similar to previous months – “publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion,” under Article 746 of the Islamic Penal Code with 22 instances, and “propaganda against the regime,” under Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code with three instances, were the most frequent charges against journalists and media outlets.
The repetition of the falsehood charge in media cases proves that the Islamic Republic is deliberately trying to discredit journalists and non-governmental media; an action that occurs in an extralegal context and without criminal instances.