''Sarmayeh'' ( fa, سرمایه; ) was a daily business newspaper published in Iran until it was banned from publishing by the Iranian government, and several of its reporters and editors were arrested on state security charges in 2009.

Journalism

''Sarmayeh'''s editorial stance was pro-reform. Reporter Jila Baniyaghoob wrote a section for a time discussing women's economic issues, but the section was cancelled in 2008 by the newspaper's more conservative management. Baniyaghoob's husband, editor Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, regularly critiqued the Iranian government's economic policies, calling the nation one of the most corrupt in the world. In 2008, he wrote an article questioning why the government could not account for US$238 billion in oil revenues.

2009 arrests and banning

Beginning in June 2009, Iran saw widespread protests following a disputed election in which President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),

was re-elected amid allegations of voter fraud. On the night of 20 June, husband-and-wife ''Sarmayeh'' team Baniyaghoob and Amouee were arrested at their home by plainclothes police officers, as part of a general crackdown on journalists. On 4 January 2010, Amouee was sentenced to a

flogging Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on an ...

of 32 lashes as well as seven years and four months' imprisonment on charges of "gathering and colluding with intent to harm national security", "spreading propaganda against the system", "disrupting public security" and "insulting the president". In the same month, Baniyaghoob was tried and convicted for "spreading propaganda against the system" and "insulting the president". The court banned her from practicing journalism for thirty years and sentenced her to a year in prison. Editor

Saeed Laylaz Saeed Laylaz ( fa, سعید لیلاز) is an Iranian economist, journalist, and a former advisor to President Mohammad Khatami. Laylaz was a pro-reform critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and was arrested as part of a general crackdown durin ...

was also arrested. Amnesty International designated both Amouee and Baniyaghoob to be prisoners of conscience, "detained solely for their peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression", and called for their immediate release.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...

also lobbied for Amouee's release, stating that his imprisonment was a violation of freedom of speech; in 2011, the organization named him a winner of its

Hellmann-Hammett award Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ri ...

. In 2009, the

International Women's Media Foundation The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

awarded Baniyaghoob its Courage In Journalism prize, stating that she had "fearlessly reported on government and social oppression, particularly as they affect women". The following year, she won the Freedom of Speech Award of

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...

. On 2 November 2009, the press supervisory board of Iran banned ''Sarmayeh''. Four more publications close to the

Green Movement Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It be ...

were also banned in Iran in 2009, including ''

Hayat-e-No ''Hayat-e-No'' ( fa, حیات نو meaning ''New Life'' in English) was a Persian reformist newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. The paper was in circulation from 2000 to December 2009 when it was closed by the Iranian authorities. History an ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarmayeh 2009 disestablishments in Iran Business newspapers Defunct newspapers published in Iran Persian-language newspapers Publications disestablished in 2009 Publications with year of establishment missing Banned newspapers Censorship in Iran

Journalism

2009 arrests and banning

See also

References