At UN, Ahmadinejad Denies Locking Up Journalists, Unless They "Infringe on Rights of Others"

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/unga1freepress092308.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 23 -- "In Iran, the only thing that is not penalized is speaking against officials," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Inner City Press on September 23. Ahmadinejad had started his press conference at the UN by saying that people can say whatever they want, both in Iran and around the world. Inner City Press asked about journalists imprisoned in Iran, including feminists and a blogger who satirized Ahmadinejad's security detail's purchas of expensive dogs from Germany. "There is no persecution," Ahmadinejad said. "I am not aware of that at all." Video here, from Minute 40:48.

At issue is Article 500 of Iran's Penal Code, which as translated on a UN website provides that "anyone who undertakes any form of propaganda against the state... will be sentenced to between three months and one year in prison." Inner City Press, reading from this very UN website, asked Ahmadinejad about the law. "Your information regarding Iran's penal code is not sufficient," Ahmadinejad replied. "Criticizing officials is free. But if you infringe on the rights of others, the law will respond."

Beyond the case of satirical blogger Reza Valizadeh and of "cyber-feminists" Parvin Ardalan, Jelveh Javaheri, Maryam Hosseinkhah and Nahid Keshavarz, there are a slew of journalists reported to be locked up inside Iran. Arash Sigarchi was sentenced to 14 years; Mansour Osanloo of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company has been jailed precisely for "propaganda against the state." Also, click here. While Iran is by no means the only enemy of press freedom, after Ahmadinejad claimed the people can say whatever they want in Iran, the issue had to be raised.

In posing the question -- which on the UN's webcast is left translated into Farsi -- Inner City Press acknowledged that there are limitations on press freedom in the U.S. and elsewhere. Still and all in the middle of his response, Ahmadinejad was handed a slip of paper which he read out, stating that in the U.S. the penal code prohibits criticizing the "military uniform." Perhaps the reference is to barring photographs of coffins of soldiers killed in Iraq. In any event, Inner City Press will be raising freedom of expression issues whenever possible with other heads of state during this UN General Assembly. Iran and the Press need a better answer, however.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unga1freepress092308.html