Pakistan Targets Sikh Journalist in Cybercrime Crackdown
December 14, 2024
Home at Last: Lebanese Journalist Moaz Mouraab Returns After 17 Years in Syrian Detention
December 14, 2024
December 14, 2024 – Iran/USA –
Iran’s latest wave of repression has drawn sharp condemnation from rights groups, following the arrest of prominent human rights advocate Reza Khandan and the continued imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh. Both cases highlight the Islamic Republic’s deepening crackdown on dissenting voices, targeting not only activists within the country but also media professionals with ties abroad.
On December 14, 2024, Iranian authorities arrested Reza Khandan, husband of renowned rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, at his home in Tehran. His daughter, Mehraveh, confirmed the arrest, linking it to a prior conviction dating back to 2018, when Khandan was sentenced to more than four years in prison for “colluding against national security” and “spreading propaganda.” Although he had previously remained free pending appeal, the new arrest suggests a reactivation of that sentence. Khandan’s detention is widely viewed as part of a broader strategy to silence the country’s most vocal human rights advocates by targeting both them and their immediate families.
At the same time, journalist Reza Valizadeh remains incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin Prison, where he is serving a 10-year sentence for “collaborating with a hostile U.S. government.” Valizadeh, who has worked for Voice of America and Radio Farda, returned to Iran from exile in March 2024, only to be arrested shortly after his arrival. His trial has been criticized for a lack of transparency and due process, and his appeal was denied earlier this year.
In protest, Valizadeh launched a hunger strike on June 8, 2025, demanding the return of his confiscated identification documents, which he says have cut him off from legal representation and communication with his family. The International Federation of Journalists and other advocacy groups have condemned his treatment, warning that the Iranian government is increasingly using judicial tools to punish journalists, especially those with links to Western media outlets.
Together, the cases of Khandan and Valizadeh reveal an aggressive state apparatus willing to target both civil society actors and members of the press to control public discourse. As repression intensifies, international pressure may be the last remaining lever to hold the regime accountable for its escalating assault on human rights and press freedom.
Reference –
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-farda-journalist-valizadeh-prison/33239877.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/14/leading-activist-arrested-in-iran-daughter-lawyer
