EA court in Iran has sentenced the niece of the Iranian exiled journalist Farhad Payar to three years in prison. This is reported by the “Iran Journal” and the organization “Reporters Without Borders” (RSF). Ghazaleh Zarea reportedly worked as a journalist and social activist in Iran. The judiciary accuses her of “forming a group to disrupt public security” and collaborating with “anti-revolutionary foreigners”.
Ghazaleh Zarea is said to have been arrested by Iranian intelligence officers on July 30 last year. After her arrest, she was held in inhumane conditions for more than a month until she was released on bail. On January 13, a revolutionary court in Khorramabad sentenced her to prison. In addition, she must take Islamic classes and take an Islamic exam. If she fails, she could face further penalties.
As her uncle Farhad Payar describes, after his niece was arrested, officials from the Iranian secret service informed him via messenger service that she had been arrested, among other things, for collaborating with him.
The secret service people warned him that his journalistic work would have consequences. The qualified political scientist worked for the Farsi editorial team of Deutsche Welle until 2023 and is editorial director of the “Iran Journal”, a German-language exile medium.
The organization “Reporters Without Borders” condemns the Iranian regime’s attempt to intimidate and blackmail Farhad Payar. “Putting independent media workers abroad under pressure by throwing their family members in prison is deeply inhumane,” said RSF board spokeswoman Katja Gloger. And this is not an isolated case. Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of Ghazaleh Zarea and all other journalists imprisoned for their work in Iran. According to RSF, 19 journalists are currently in prison in Iran.
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