Since Iran’s Constitutional Revolution in 1905 and the birth of modern media in the country, successive Iranian governments have intimidated, imprisoned, tortured and killed journalists and activists who use the media to share information with others. This pattern of brutality has worsened since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Republic has consistently been one of the world’s worst perpetrators of crimes against journalists and information activists for the past four decades.

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Iran is the 173rd out of 180 freest countries in the world

Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

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Iran's Wall of Shame

Mohsen Ravari

Vida Rabbani

Vida Robani, a journalist with the weekly Seda publication and a member of the Union of the Islamic People of Iran Party, a current reformist party, was arrested by security …

Mehrnoosh Tafian

Rahil Mousavi

Photojournalist Rahil Mousavi, 22, was arrested and beaten by security agents after she took photographs of a protest rally in the southwestern port city of Khorramshahr.

Arash Shadmand

Arash Shadmand is an art teacher, photographer and graduate student at Tabriz Islamic Art University.

Hirad Pirbodaghi

Hirad Pirbodaghi is a writer, labor activist, and member of the editorial board of the labor magazine Gam (Step). He is currently being held in Evin Prison.

Alireza Khoshbakht

Alireza Khoshbakht is an independent political journalist and activist. On Thursday, September 22, 2020, during protests over the killing of Mahsa Amini, Khoshbakht, his wife and fellow activist Zahra Tohidi, …