From 23 January 2025, Iran’s intelligence agencies summoned journalists and media activists Zhila Bani-Yaghoub, Pejman Mousavi, Omid Faraghat, Maryam Shokrani and Alieh Motaleb Zadeh to appear at the Evin prosecutor’s office. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the Iranian authorities’ ongoing crackdown on press freedom and calls for an immediate end to the harassment and intimidation of and legal action against journalists.

An Iranian inmate peers from behind a wall as a guard walks by at the female section of the infamous Evin jail, north of Tehran, 13 June 2006. Credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP

On 22 January 2025, Iranian authorities carried out raids on the homes of Zhila Bani-Yaghoub, a journalist from  Kanon Zanan Iran, and Pejman Mousavi, editor-in-chief of Tajrobeh magazine and Morvarid magazine. Zhila Bani-Yaghoub described how intelligence forces stormed her home. She stated that “more than 10 to 12 intelligence agents entered our house” and they initially deceived her husband by claiming they had “a letter from the post office”. “I woke up suddenly and, sitting on my bed, saw men entering one after another. There was also a policewoman who stood next to me while I changed clothes,” she said.

The journalist protested against the behaviour of the officers and noted that no charges were mentioned in the document they provided.

She added: “They searched the house and took away our laptops and phones.” When her husband, Bahman Amooee, a well-known journalist, protested, arguing that his name was not mentioned in the warrant and that they had no right to confiscate his laptop and phone, the officers ignored his objections.

Zhila Bani-Yaghoub concluded by saying: “I must report to the interrogation branch at Evin. Maybe they will tell me later what my charges are.” She had already been sentenced to one year in prison and a 30-year ban preventing her from doing journalistic work.

On 22 January 2025, it was also reported that judicial officers raided Pejman Mousavi’s home in Tehran, searched his house and confiscated his mobile phone.

At the same time, it was reported that Omid Faraghat, a freelance political journalist, also received an order for him to appear before Branch 4 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office within five days.

The reason for the raids and the summons of these journalists has not been clarified.

In recent days, Maryam Shokrani, a financial journalist working for the Shargh newspaper, has also been summoned to make a statement and has been questioned. On 2 February, freelance journalist and photojournalist Alieh Motaleb Zadeh wrote on X that she had also been summoned and had gone to the Branch 4 of Evin prosecutor’s office with her lawyer, but security personnel treated her harshly and denied her entry because her hijab and clothing did not meet their standards.

These actions amount to a new wave of pressure being exerted on journalists by the Iranian authorities. It fits into a broader pattern of suppressing independent journalism and civil activism in Iran. The Iranian government has intensified its crackdown on journalists, summoning and questioning around seven in just two weeks. Authorities are not revealing the charges against several journalists, raising concerns about them being cases of arbitrary arrests and intimidation.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger expressed his full solidarity with all of the journalists summoned to make statements: “We urge Iran to respect press freedoms and international human rights obligations, including the right to freedom of expression and protection from arbitrary detention. We also demand transparency regarding the charges, if any, against the summoned journalists and call on authorities to return confiscated equipment seized during house searches. We condemn Iran’s increasing suppression of independent journalism and free speech.”

Journalists currently in jail in Iran 

 1. Vida Rabani, a freelance journalist for the newspaper Shargh, was arrested at her home in Tehran on 24 September 2022. 

2. Jina Modares Gorji, a freelance journalist, began serving a 16-month jail sentence in the prison of Sanandaj city on 12 November 2024.

3. Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American journalist and former Radio Farda presenter, was arrested in Tehran in March 2024.

4. Saeedeh Shafiee, a finance journalist, started serving a three-year and seven-month jail sentence on 6 September 2024.

5. Mostafa Nemati was put in prison in Abadan city on 2 November to serve a 40-month jail term.