One of my Facebook friends, Iranian photographer Amir Sadeghi, was arrested yesterday at the office of Farhang-e-Ashti newspaper, his place of work, for having published images of the security clampdown on protesters last December 27th.His Facebook page is gone. His family doesn't know where the authorities have taken him.
Amir has worked for website Tehran24 and blogs at TehranLive.org, which today appears to have been co-opted by authorities. The photos and sentiments posted there now are not Amir's.
This is not the first time Amir has been imprisoned for posting photographs of demonstrations. When protesters first burst onto the streets of Tehran last June, Amir was there to record his country's history. But it seems his government doesn't want its actions documented.
Amir's friends have created a Facebook group in hopes of helping to Free Amir Sadeghi. I've joined; you can, too. It's clear the Iranian authorities are web savvy; they use Twitter and Facebook to monitor their own people.
If I were living in Iran right now I don't know if I'd be brave enough to do what Amir and those other journalists did. But I know the world needs these heroes.
Most of us don't live in Iran. From where we sit we can be brave enough to stand up to the authorities. We can show solidarity for Amir and the other (so far) 65 journalists in Iranianian prisons. We can show solidarity with the Iranian people in their stand for freedom--freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of self-determination.
4 comments:
Oh, that Amir. I thought Tehran24 had been coopted for some time.
This must be a preemptive move before Revolution Day. Something's afoot with the dissidents on that date, I heard.
Might help to get activist in our own country. Been thinkin' of riskin' a night in the pokie, 'cause the media ain't for real here. Oh, well, what can one person do...right?
Hey, Boz!
He's been blogging along just fine, then boom. Replaced by pro-government stuff. Weird. And his facebook page is gone. I keep thinking of how it would feel if I had to fear that all that time.
Oh, certainly, there is media suppression here, voluntary at that, I've made a study of it for a decade or so, and me a dumb schlub working man-I'd rather be ice fishing and sippin' some cold vodka from a snow bank, chattin' up my baby girl Dottie and maybe a rounder or two for company, swappin' harmless lies 'bout the one that got away.
I'll have to post something tomorrow-see which way the wind blows.
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