Caselist - PEN International

84Dr. Kian TAJBAKHSHD.o.b.: c.1962 Profession: Iranian-American scholar, sociologist andurban planner. Date of arrest: 9 July 2009 Sentence: 15 years in prison,reduced to five years on appeal. Free on bail. Expires: 8 July 2014 Detailsof arrest: According to PEN’s information, Dr Tajbakhsh was arrested oncharges including ‘acting against national security’ and espionage for hissubscription to Gulf/2000, a cultural and academic internet organizationsponsored by Colombia University’s School of International and PublicAffairs. The organization reportedly aimed to increase the availabilityof information about countries in the Gulf region, and is run by GarySick, who the prosecution claims to be a CIA agent. The indictmentalso cited Dr Tajbakhsh’s previous position as a consultant for theSoros Foundation’s Open Society Institute (OSI), which was formerlyapproved by the Iranian authorities but which he discontinued followinghis 2007 arrest. Details of trial: Among over 140 defendants includingprominent politicians, writers, academics and journalists to be tried forallegedly ‘fomenting a velvet revolution’ in a widely-condemned masstrialwhich began on 1 August 2009. All the defendants had been detainedin a mass crackdown following the disputed 2009 presidential elections.On 20 October 2009, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on chargesof espionage, “contacting foreign elements” and acting against nationalsecurity. Initially denied a request to file an appeal. On 10 February 2010his lawyer reported that his sentence had been reduced to five years onappeal. He was released on bail on 14 March 2010 and remains free on‘temporary release’ from prison, but is prohibited from leaving Iran.Other information: Tajbakhsh’s academic research reportedly examinesIranian state institutions and the policy-making process in Iran. In2006, he completed a three-year study of the local government sectorin Iran. He is the author of two books, The Promise of the City: Space,Identity and Politics in Contemporary Social Thought (Berkeley andLos Angeles: University of California Press 2001), and Social Capital:Trust, Democracy and Development (Tehran: Shiraze Publishers 2005,in Farsi). He has also published numerous scholarly articles, as wellas non-academic writings on cinema and culture. Previous politicalimprisonment/problems: Previously arrested at his home in Tehran on11 May 2007, one of four Iranian-American scholars to be detained inthat year. Believed to be targeted for his work as an advisor to the OpenSociety Institute (OSI). He was held without charge in Evin Prison formore than four months before being freed on 19 September 2007.On trialAmir Hadi ANVARI, Rayhaneh TABATABAEE (f), Mehran FARA-JI, Ahmad GHOLAMI, Farzaneh ROOSTAEI and Kayvan ME-HREGAN: Economic reporter, political reporter, social and domesticissues reporter, editor-in- chief and international desk editor respectivelyof the daily newspaper Sharq. Reportedly arrested on 7 December 2010.On 8 December, Tehran’s General Revolutionary Courts Prosecutor announcedthat the arrests were based on “security charges” but did notprovide any additional details. Between January and February 2011 theywere released on bail and are currently awaiting trial. No further informationas of 31 December 2011.Maryam BAHREMAN (f): Womens Rights activist and blogger. Memberof the Campaign for ‘One Million Signatures’. Reportedly arrestedon 11 May 2011 at her home in Shiraz on charges of ‘acting against nationalsecurity’. Her home was searched and her computer, mobile phone,books and documents seized. On 15 September 2011 Maryam Bahremanwas released on bail. No further information as of 31 December 2011.Abdolreza TAJIK: Political editor of many banned reformistnewspapers, including Fat’h (banned in 2000), Bahar (banned in 2001),Bonyan (banned in 2002), Hambastegi (banned in 2003) and Shargh(banned in 2008). Known for his articles critical of the state of freedomof expression in Iran and the arbitrary arrests of journalists. Cooperatedwith the Human Rights Defenders Centre founded by Nobel laureateShirin Ebadi. Reportedly detained on 12 June 2010 for his human rightsactivism and released on bail on 22 December 2010. Recipient of theReporters Without Borders 2010 Press Freedom Prize. On 17 March 2011he was sentenced to six years in prison for alleged “membership of illegalgroups” and “propaganda against the regime.” According to his lawyerhe was sentenced to five years for “membership of the Human RightsDefenders Centre”, and one year in prison for “propaganda against theregime”. In addition to these charges, Abdolreza Tajik is also accused of“publishing falsehoods in order to ignite public opinion.” The court hasnot yet issued a sentence related to that charge. Thought to remain freeon bail.Brief detention*Faranak FARID (f): Editor-in-chief of the banned monthly Dilmaj, poetand women’s rights activist. Reportedly arrested by plainclothes officerswhilst out shopping in the city of Tabriz on 3 September 2011. Securityforces later searched her house and seized her computer and personaldocuments. She was arrested following her participation in a peacefulprotest against the environmental policies of the Iranian authoritiesaffecting the Urmiah Lake in north-western Iran, and is also thought tobe targeted for her writings and activism in defense of women’s rights.She was held at the women’s section of Tabriz Central Prison on chargesof ‘insulting the Supreme Leader’, ‘propaganda against the system’, and‘acting against national security’ until 17 October 2011, when she wasfreed on a bail of one hundred) million tuman. She was reportedly illtreatedin detention.IRAQKilled*Hadi AL-MAHDI: prominent journalist, playwright, filmmaker andmember of Iraqi PEN. Hadi al-Mahdi was shot dead at his home inBaghdad on 8 September 2011. Al-Mahdi, 44, was shot twice in the headat his flat in Baghdad, ahead of a planned protest he was due to attendin the city’s Tahrir Square on 9 September. He hosted a popular radiotalk-show To Whoever Listens which was aired three times a week on anindependent radio station, on which he was known for his outspoken criticismof the government. He had been receiving threats since 25 February2011, when he was arrested after calling for peaceful anti-governmentprotests. He is said to have stopped broadcasting his show about twomonths before, reportedly out of fear for his safety. Hadi al-Mahdi spentsix months in prison in the late 1980s for his play Farewell, Strange OldWorld, which was a re-telling of Machiavelli’s The Prince. He lived inexile in Europe throughout the 1990s, returning to Iraq after the fall ofSaddam Hussein in 2003.Brief detention*Ahmed MIRA: Editor of Lvin magazine, was reportedly detained andbeaten by men in military uniform in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, on7 September 2011. After the officers searched his offices and insultedand threatened him and his staff, Mira was handcuffed and hit on his legswith a Kalashnikov. He was taken away and held for three hours at theBakhtyari police station, but was not told the reason for his arrest. Mira’srelease was ordered by a judge. He has reportedly filed a complaintbefore the authorities to investigate the incident.Attacked*Asos HARDI: Journalist and director of the Awane Press and PublishingCompany, which publishes the Awane newspaper in Iraqi Kurdistan, wasreportedly attacked while leaving his office in the evening of 29 August2011. Hardi was approaching his car when a man knocked him to theground and hit him repeatedly in the back of his head. Hardi believesthe attack was linked to his work a journalist. The authorities are saidto be investigating the incident. Previously, in 2008, Hardi receivedtwo suspended sentences for publishing critical articles to the KurdishRegional government. Asos Hardi is also a member of Human RightsWatch in Middle East and North Africa issues.ReleasedSaad AL-AWSI: editor of the weekly newspaper Al-Shahid was releasedon 18 August 2011 after sixteen months in detention. He is to receivemedical treatment before he resumes editing the newspaper. Al-Awasiwas arrested by members of the security forces on 14 April 2010. Thearrest was prompted by an article in which he criticized deals that thePrime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had allegedly struck in order to securehis position.ISRAELBrief detention*Amar ABU URFA: reporter for the Shahab news agency was reportedlyarrested on 21 August 2011 by the Israeli Defence Forces from his homein the Dahishe Camp in Bethlehem. No reasons were given for his arrest.Presumed later freed.Main caseAnat KAMM (f)Profession: Journalist with the Israeli news portal Walla. Date of arrest:23 November 2011 Sentence: Four and a half years in prison. Detailsof arrest: Reportedly charged in December 2009 with espionage aftershe allegedly leaked classified evidence of illegal assassination ordersby the Israeli army to journalist Uri Blau of the newspaper Haaretz. Thecharges against Kamm include two counts of aggravated espionage,including passing classified information with the intent to harm statesecurity, which is punishable by a life sentence, and collecting andholding classified material with the intent to harm state security, forwhich she could receive up to 15 years in prison. The charges derive fromKamm’s military service, when she allegedly copied over 2,000 classifiedmilitary documents and leaked them to Haaretz reporter Uri Blau. Blauused the documents to publish a report in October 2008 that found thatthe army had carried out targeted killings against three wanted terroristsin the West Bank, in violation of a 2006 Supreme Court ruling that saidwanted men must be taken into custody if there were a possibility ofdoing so. Although the article was apparently cleared for publication bythe army censor, Kamm was arrested by the Shin Bet (secret police) andplaced under house arrest. Blau has since been living in London whilehis lawyers negotiate a way for him to return to Israel without facingcharges. Details of trial: Kamm’s trial started on 20 July 2010. Aftera plea bargain, the initial charges against Anat Kamm were changed to‘leaking classified materials’, and on 6 February 2011, she was sentencedto four and a half years in prison and 18 months probation. Kamm startedserving her sentence on 23 November 2011, at Neve Tirza Prison inRamla.Imprisoned: InvestigationDr Ahmad QATAMESH: Prominent Palestinian writer and academic.Reportedly arrested on 21 April 2011 by the Israeli authorities in theoccupied West Bank. He was taken to Ofer detention Centre in the WestBank where he was questioned by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) abouthis alleged connection to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine(PFLP). Thought to be held for his peaceful political activities and views.At a hearing on 3 May 2011 Qatamesh was handed an administrativedetention order, which can be renewed indefinitely. Qatamesh waspreviously arrested in the 1992 by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)for the same reason. On 2 September 2011 Qatamesh’s administrativedetection was extended for further six months, as ordered by the MilitaryCommander in the West Bank.JORDANAttacked*Randa HABIB (f): journalist and chief of Agence France-Press Bureauin Amman. Reportedly attacked on 28 July 2011 in her office by angryprotesters who used tried to force their way into the office. The protestwas triggered by a story published on 13 June 2011 in which the AFPmentioned that the king’s motorcade was attacked.LEBANONBrief detention*Zeid HAMDAN: Musician and singer. Reportedly summoned on 26 July2011 and held for several hours at the Justice Palace prison for allegedlydefaming the Lebanese president in a song entitled ‘General Suleiman’.The song, which criticises the political situation in Lebanon was writtentwo years ago and had recently been posted on youTube.LIBYABrief detentionMany journalists have been subject to arrest and violence for reportingon the protests against Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi which brokeout on 17 February 2011. Please see the Committee to Protect Journalists(www.cpj.org) and Reporters Sans Frontiers (www.rsf.org) for moredetails. Most were released after a brief detention including:Attacked*Tracy SHELTON: Freelance Australian journalist was attacked bytwo men while on her hotel room in Benghazi, on 11 August 2011. Theattackers reportedly broke into her room at about 3am, tied her up, beather brutally and attempted to kidnap her. Shelton managed to free herselfand escape through the balcony.85