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Nader Irani

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day that is celebrated on May 3 around the ‎world, Rooz Online spoke with Ms. Badrossadat Mofidi, secretary of Association of ‎Iranian Journalists (the country’s independent journalists syndicate) about media issues in ‎Iran. Read on for the details.‎

Rooz (R): A few days ago the website of the Journalists Union carried a news item that ‎there was no news about the whereabouts or the condition of a recently detained ‎journalist from Sedaye Edatalat newspaper. Have your efforts in this regard produced any ‎results? In General, what have you done for journalists who have faced similar situations?‎
Babral Sadat Mofidi (BSM): The efforts of the Journalists Union have not yet produced ‎any results. As a matter of fact recently increasing pressures have been imposed on ‎journalists. Such pressures are of course not new as we have witnessed obstacles, ‎summons, threats, intimidation, detention, temporary confinement, etc in the past well. ‎But in recent times these practices have in fact been on the rise.‎

R: An issue that has recently become a concern for journalists is the news that the ‎Ministry of Islamic Guidance has begun monitoring the activities of the editorial boards ‎of the press. What has the Journalists Union done about this?‎
BSM: It appears that the Press Supervision Board (at the Ministry of Islamic Guidance) is ‎following in the footsteps of the Guardians Council and desires to have the right to pass ‎judgment on the qualifications and credibility of journalists. This practice of interfering ‎in the editorial boards of newspapers is in conflict with international labor laws.‎

R: In view of the increasing pressures on the press, what is the view of the Union about ‎the future of independent media in Iran?‎
BSM: Unfortunately since Mr. Ahmadinejad’s administration took power and the ‎Seventh Majlis underwent changes, we have witnessed a change in the composition of the ‎Press Supervision Board (at the Ministry of Islamic Guidance). So when the press was ‎looked at from a different angle, and the new members who came to the Board were ‎essentially against freedom of speech and expression, it was natural that conditions for ‎the press and journalists would deteriorate, and the best example of this are the remarks ‎made by Mr. Safar Herandi who in fact as the Minister of Islamic Guidance is the head of ‎the Press Supervision Board. It is also natural that the hopeless atmosphere that is now ‎current in the media is spreading.‎

R: What programs does the Union have to keep the independence of journalists?‎
BSM: Since the Union lacks the legal support, and syndicate and union rights that exist in ‎free countries, much of its work lack any force over the operational agencies of the ‎government. Since Mr. Ahmadinejad’s administration took power pressure on non ‎governmental organizations has increased tremendously, but still one can say that the ‎Journalists Union is amongst the most perseverant organizations to withstand such ‎government pressure and so still continues its work. We have gradually but steadily ‎continued our defense of journalists by refraining from taking radical positions. As an ‎example of our work, whenever journalists were subjected to legal problems we provided ‎legal support by hiring attorneys for them and engaged in appealing to senior judiciary ‎officials of the country, many of which were responded to by the head of the judiciary.‎