Iran fails to charge detained journalist/filmmaker

Mohammad Nourizad

Fatemeh Maleki, wife of Mohammad Nourizad, the detained filmmaker and journalist, told Kalameh website that after over three months, the authorities claim they have not finished questioning her husband and his case remains up in the air.

Maleki reports that after 93 days, she finally managed to speak with her husband for about five minutes on the phone on March 22.

Mohammad Nourizad is a journalist and documentary maker who was arrested last December for the charge of “insulting” Iranian officials and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”

Fatemeh Maleki reports that at the beginning of the conversation Nourizad was overcome with emotion over his concern for his family and could not speak.

Nourizad has told his wife: “Do not worry about me. It is not important how long I will be in here. What’s important is that I come out with honour.”

The judiciary has told Nourizad’s attorney that he refuses to “cooperate” with the investigators that is why his file has not reached the “higher ups” yet.

On a visit with Nourizad family, opposition leader, MirHosein Mousavi announced that Nourizad is paying for his persistence in telling the truth.

His family contends that Mohammad Nourizad has been in solitary confinement throughout his detention and he had not been allowed any phone calls until last week’s five minute call.

Mohammad Nourizad was a longtime columnist for Keyhan, Iran’s state-backed daily newspaper. After the tenth presidential elections, he was highly critical of the actions of Islamic Republic officials.

He also wrote a series of letters to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader questioning his support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Fatemeh Maleki says that investigators of her husband’s case summoned her to Evin Prison on February 10 and informed her that the investigations about her husband will take at least two more months.

Maleki maintains that her husband’s case is clear and there is nothing else except his writings so if the authorities were to charge him based on those writings they should have done so until now.