15:48GMT—11:48AM/EST
Washington, 18 August (WashingtonTV)—Reporters Without Borders on Tuesday voiced concern about the situation of two journalists jailed in Iran, and condemned the suspension of the Etemad-e Melli newspaper.
“Like every other kind of person jailed since the 12 June presidential election, journalists are being tortured and mistreated,” the Paris-based press freedom watchdog said in a statement.
The group said that it had been told that journalists Keyvan Samimi Behbahani and Henghameh Shahidi, who were arrested on 13 June and 29 June, respectively, had been held in solitary confinement since their arrests and were being subjected to a great deal of pressure.
“No one, not even their lawyers, has been able to get information about their cases. The lives of these imprisoned journalists are in danger,” it said.
The group also condemned the suspension of Etemad-e Melli, which is tied to defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi.
The daily was suspended “until further notice” for “publishing illegal reports and articles threatening national security.”
The move was in response to allegations by Karroubi about torture and rape in Iran’s prisons, which Iranian authorities have denied.
Source: Reporters Without Borders website
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