Defenders sign a petition calling on the Liberation of journalists in Iran

Petition in support of Iranian journalists who are kept behind bars is already signed by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), ARTICLE 19, International Publishers Association, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the American National Press Club and Institute of Mass Information (IMI).

At least 60 journalists and writers are kept behind bars because of their professional activities. Since June last year, the government cruelly suppresses any manifestation of dissidence. Iran tops the list of countries that keep dissidents in jail - at least 60 political prisoners, including 47 journalists, are imprisoned there. Most of those deprived of their liberty are held in solitary confinement, some of them are tortured.

Petition was send to Ayatollah March 20, the day of Iranian New Year. Mazyar Bahari, Newsweek correspondent, is a consultant for this action, who was kept behind bars within 118 days last year and was beaten almost daily. "I know that my prison guards in Iran were aware of the depth of international concern. We have to launch a similar protest in the interests of more than 60 journalists, writers and bloggers who are in jail today. By adding your name to this petition, you help us to give them to understand that people around the world are watching what is happening in Iran.”

"Our society will be free" campaign is intended to recall the current leaders of Iran Ruoly Ayatollah Khomeini's promise that he gave before the 1979 revolution. In 1978, he said "the future of our society will be a free society, and all means of cruelty and violence will be destroyed.”

Here is the text of the petition:

To: His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei,
We are writing to urge you to free all writers, journalists, and bloggers currently in prison for carrying out their professional activities in Iran.

At least 60 writers, journalists, and bloggers are behind bars today in violation of the protections guaranteeing freedom of expression in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s constitution and in international law. This list constitutes the largest number of such professionals jailed by any country at one time in over a decade.

In 1978, your predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini, said, “Our future society will be a free society, and all the elements of oppression, cruelty, and force will be destroyed.”

We entreat you to uphold the pledges of Ayatollah Khomeini and the promises of the Iranian constitution by releasing all writers, journalists, and bloggers currently behind bars for covering the news and expressing their views in Iran.