detentions and imprisonments solely for performing their work.13 14 15 16 17 18 Iran is one of the
countries with the highest number of journalists in prison, illustrating its repression of the
freedom of the press. 19
Considering the above, the Government has not guaranteed the freedom of the press and media
in Iran.
B. The Special Rapporteur further urges the Government to immediately release
all detainees who have been imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of
opinion, expression and unobstructed peaceful assembly.
Since 2016, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has found at least 38 cases of
arbitrary detention in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a significant number of them concerning
individuals imprisoned solely for exercising their right to freedom of opinion, expression and
peaceful assembly. Despite these opinions, many remain in detention as of February 2021,
including but not limited to: Mr. Arash Sadeghi (Opinion no. 19/2018), Ms. Golrokh Ebrahimi
Iraee (Opinion no. 33/2019), Ms. Atena Daemi (Opinion no. 83/2018). OHCHR continues to
document numerous cases of individuals imprisoned solely for exercising their freedom of
expression, including journalists and human rights defenders.20
The Islamic Republic of Iran has not immediately released all detainees who have been
imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly. 21
13
Committee to Protect Journalists, https://cpj.org/2020/06/at-least-5-journalists-sentenced-to-jail-in-iran-since-early-june/ and
https://cpj.org/2020/08/iranian-journalist-kayvan-samimi-begins-3-year-jail-term-over-protest-coverage/ and
https://cpj.org/2020/09/mohammad-mosaed-cpj-2020-awardee-sentenced-to-more-than-4-years-in-jail-in-iran/;
https://cpj.org/2020/09/iranian-journalist-nada-sabouri-begins-3-5-year-jail-term-in- 2014-protest-case/;
https://cpj.org/2020/09/iranian-journalist-khosrow-sadeghi-borojeni-begins-7- year-jail-term/
14
Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://iranhumanrights.org/2020/10/prominent-iranian-writers-sent-to-prison-for-peacefuldissent/.
15
The Guardian, www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/30/iran-sentences-journalist-ruhollah-zam-to-death.
16
Iran Human Rights, www.iranhr.net/en/articles/4301/
17
Amnesty International, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/iran-two-kurds-executed-amid-increasing-use-ofdeath-penalty-as-weapon-of-repression/
18
HRANA <https://www.en-hrana.org/journalist-masoud-kazemi-arrested>; <https://www.en-hrana.org/journalists-deathattributed-to-travel-and-healthcare-restrictions>
19
https://cpj.org/mideast/iran/
20
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2021,
https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2FHRC%2F46%2F50&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop
21
See more: United for Iran, https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/
3