The Association of Iranian Journalists () is a professional organization in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

that serves to "protect and safeguard the legal and professional rights of Iranian journalists." The organization was created in 1997 at the onset of the presidency of reformist

Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

. In 2008, the association had 4,000 members. With the inauguration of the presidency of conservative

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...

, the association faced systematic harassment from government authorities, which culminated in its closure by the government in August 2009. The association is a full member of the

International Federation of Journalists The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries. The IFJ is an associate ...

Ahmadinejad presidency

Ahmadinejad's crackdown on Iranian civil society brought the association into "open conflict" with his government. In August 2006, pro-government journalists unsuccessfully attempted to take control of the organization. On June 24, 2008, labor minister Mohammad Jahromi wrote a letter to the association, threatening to dissolve the "illegal" group. In response,

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

said, "This is yet another attempt by the Iranian authorities to silence those who defend free expression in Iran." In aftermath of the disputed June

2009 Iranian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Iran on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes c ...

, when

protesters A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

took to the streets to voice their discontent with the results, a number of journalists affiliated with the association were arrested. On June 20, authorities arrested the head of the association, Ali Mazroui. On July 3, 2009, Issa Saharkhiz, a founding member of the association, was arrested. On August 5, 2009, the association shut down following a raid by security forces. The International Federation of Journalists condemned the closure as part of a "campaign of intimidation" against the media and said that "Iran must not make journalists scapegoats for its political troubles."

Rouhani presidency

In response to a question about the Association of Iranian Journalists in his first press conference as president-elect on June 17, 2013,

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cl ...

said, "I believe that not only that association but all associations should be revived legally because these organizations are the best tools to manage the issues of society and the management of social issues must be carried out through these very professional and trade associations and groups. I will put my efforts into this." In conflict with the president's pledge, however, Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Ejhei said in October 2013 that the association would remain closed.

References

External links

* Official site: {{cite web, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505220702/http://aoij.ir/en , url=http://aoij.ir/en , title=Association of Iranian Journalists , archive-date=5 May 2008 , url-status=dead , language=en, fa Mass media in Iran Journalism-related professional associations Professional associations based in Iran Trade unions established in 1997 Trade unions in Iran