- Masoud lavasani
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masoud lavasani
مسعود لواسانیBorn August 1, 1979
Tehran, IranOccupation blogger and Journalist Seyed Masoud Hoseini Lavasani (Persian: مسعود لواسانی), (born 1979 Tehran) is an Iranian journalist, blogger[1] Masoud Lavasani was arrested on June 30, 2009, following the disputed 2009 Iranian Presidential election. He was charged with "Engaging in propaganda activities against the regime". Judge PirAbassi in the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to eight and a half years in prison. He was also issued a lifelong ban from journalism. In the Appeals Court Massoud Lavasani's sentence was reduced to six years in prison and a ten-year ban from journalism.[2][3][4]
Contents
Career
- Nevertheless, among cultural circles and the publishing industry, Masoud Lavasani is a familiar name. Book publishers remember him from his vigorous reports and interviews before and during the 2007 Tehran book fair, when he challenged the fair management over its policies and stubbornness to choose Mossalla as the fair venue. When he was denied entry to the fair as a result of his reporting, he did not hesitate to leap over the fences at night and take pictures of clogged pipes and damaged books for the Mehr News agency. The pictures clearly proved that Tehran's Mossalla was not the proper venue for the fair. Finally,because of his book fair coverage, as well as his other reports, he was fired from the Mehr News, where he worked.[5]
Masoud Lavasani was arrested and taken to Evin on September 26, 2009. During his detention in solitary he endured harsh psychological torture and pressure. He became weak and sick inside the bitter cold and filthy cell. These days he is being held in the basement of ward 350 of Evin Prison, where prisoners are watched day and night with closed-captioned cameras, constantly mistreated and taken to the prison yard every morning at 7am to do their mandatory exercises in cold temperatures.
In his bio, Lavasani calls himself a journalist, publishing expert and cultural affairs analyst with 10 years of work experience for different newspapers and media organizations. He started his work as a journalist in 1998 by writing short stories for the Jam-e-Jam newspaper. For 3 years he was the cultural affairs editor for Sobhe-Sadegh weekly and wrote political analysis for Kayhan daily. He also was a movie critic for Soroosh weekly.
In 2004 he started working for the Mehr News Agency, where he stayed for the next 4 years. After his dismissal from Mehr, he became a contributing editor for Etemad, Etemad-Meli, Shargh, Kargozaran and Tehran Emrooz. He also was the cultural affairs editor for Aftab Yazd Daily for a period. In the spiral of post-election events, journalists were targeted more than ever. Many were arrested, and so was Masoud lavasani, who ended up in Evin prison.
Arrest and imprisonment
Nov. 29, 2009, judge Pir-Abassi of the 26th[6] branch of the Revolutionary Court handed down an 8 year prison sentence to lavasani. His charges included conspiracy and acting against national security, insulting the Supreme Leader, disseminating lies through his weblog[7][8] and emails and so on and so forth. Currently his weblog, the box of ants' memoirs, has been deleted by the interrogators and is not accessible.[9]
Lavasani had originally been sentenced to an eight and a half year imprisonment sentence during his initial trial. The sentencing was delivered to Mr. Lavasani on Thursday, April 15 2009.Masoud Lavasani received a six-year[10] jail sentence combined with a ban from engaging in any press-related activities for a period of 10 years. Lavasani's general condition is quite precarious and, in spite of an agreement for his conditional release on a 500,000 USD bond, which was very difficult to arrange, Intelligence and judicial officials are still blocking his release. Mr. Lavasani is denied the right to visit his two year-old child as well as his wife and parents. Mr. Lavasani is being held under tough conditions in the basement section 350 of Evin Prison.[11][12]
Javad Moghimi, Lavasani in conversations with friends about the Guardian he said:- He says his close friend Masoud Lavasani, a political correspondent for Fars News, is in prison on hunger strike.[13]
hunger strike
Lavasani's hunger strike is to protest the limitations placed by prison guards at Evin prison.News media reported that: Also, Masoud Lavasani's bad physical condition due to pressure at Evin prison as well as harsh interrogations has caused the concern of his family and those close to the journalist.[14]
- Detained Masoud Lavasani Still in Evin Clinic
Lavasani's wife Fatemeh Kheradmand has written a note referring to the first occasions she had seen Lavasani's tears and his injured body due to tortures, and added that she knows Maous Lavasanis is being hospitalized in Evin clinic[15]
- The media wrote :
According to the latest reports, Lavasani, a detained journalist, has had a nervous breakdown in prison.[16] 07/05/2010 GVF—Advarnews has reported that after more than nine months of imprisonment, journalist Masoud Lavasani has been released from prison for a short leave.[17][18][19]
References
- ^ "Three political prisoners spend their birthdays behind bars today". http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/maryam-nayeb-yazdi/three-political-prisoners-spend-their-birthdays-behind-bars-today.
- ^ CyberDissident Database
- ^ Prisoner update: Six years in prison & ten-year ban on journalismhttp://www.rahana.org/archives/44918 for Masoud Lavasani
- ^ Masoud Lavasani’s Sentence Reduced to 6 Years on Appeal
- ^ The Masoud Lavasani Story: An Imprisoned Father Who Will Not See his Son for 8 years
- ^ [1] ,The public relations department of the Tehran Public and Revolution Prosecutor's Office said that Abdollah Ramezanzadeh and Seyyed Masoud Lavasani would be tried this week. Read more: [2]
- ^ Lavasani channel on YouTube, which it announced in its news video
- ^ Subscriptions another page that film was released in his newsreels Lavasani
- ^ ,The Masoud Lavasani Story: An Imprisoned Father Who Will Not See his Son for 8 Years
- ^ Political Prisoner Watch
- ^ Masoud Lavasani Sentenced to Six-Year Jail Term
- ^ Masoud Lavasani transfered to Evin clinic The Guardian, Sunday 4 July 2010
- ^ Javad Moghimi's story reveals the peril of being a journalist in Iran
- ^ Prisoner update: Masoud Lavasani on hunger strike for fifth day
- ^ Detained Journalist Masoud Lavasani Still in Evin Clinic
- ^ Detained Journalist, Masoud Lavasani Suffered a Nervous Breakdown
- ^ Journalist Masoud Lavasani released
- ^ Blogger, journalist Mosoud Lavasani returns to Evin prison
- ^ No news of Masoud Lavasani, journalist sentenced to incarceration
External links
- COMMUNICATIONS / JOURNALISTS IN TROUBLE The List, March 1, 2010 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
- Hundreds of Iranian Journalists Demand the Release of Their Jailed Colleagues
- PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION! (APPELLO per il rilascio immediato dei difensori dei diritti umani ) In collaborazione con Network of Women´s Museums
- DOCUMENT - IRAN: HEALTH OF PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE AT IRANIAN GOVERNMENT’S MERCY: JOINT STATEMENT Amnesty International & Reporters Sans Frontieres
- 50 journalists Iran must free Written by Mehdi Bassiri
Categories:- Iranian bloggers
- Prisoners and detainees of Iran
- Iranian prisoners and detainees
- 1979 births
- Living people
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