Iran: Acclaimed Cartoonist Farghadani Arrested Yet Again
Farghadani 40th woman journalist arrested in Iran for doing their job in the past one and a half years
Location: Iran, Tehran
Date: June 12, 2023
Award-winning artist Atena Farghadani taken into custody at Evin Prison in Tehran for posting a satirical political cartoon on her Instagram account. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled with Iranian authorities for repeatedly harassing the cartoonist for her work. We demand an end to the ongoing efforts of Iranian authorities to suppress free speech, silencing journalists and commentators. We demand authorities immediately release Farghadani.
Mohammad Moghimi, Farghadani’s lawyer, shared the cartoonist was arrested on Wednesday, June 7th, at Evin Prison in Tehran after she responded to a summons to appear at the prison's courthouse. As of now, it is unclear why she was summoned and subsequently arrested and whether any formal charges have been filed against her.
Farghadani had posted a satirical political cartoon on her Instagram account the same day she was arrested. The cartoon, which depicted people with animal and satanic faces, was her first post on the platform since February 2020.
Farghadani captioned her cartoon by stating that it was created "in the privacy of my own home" and did not involve "the Islamic Republic and its agents."
In 2015, Farghadani received a sentence of 12 years and nine months in prison for "assembly and collusion against national security." This was due to a cartoon she posted on her Facebook page in 2014. In her cartoon, Farghadani criticized a draft law that would ban voluntary sterilization and limit access to birth control measures. The cartoon depicted Iranian government officials as animals. She was released on May 3, 2016, serving 18 months of her sentence.
Atena Farghadani is an Iranian artist, political cartoonist, and activist advocating for women's and children's rights. She received the Courage in Editorial Cartooning award from Cartoonist Rights Network International in August 2015. Two days following her release in 2016, Farghadani was awarded the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent.
More than 70 journalists arrested
Since a massive wave of protests erupted in response to the death of Mahsa Amini, a student arrested for being "inappropriately dressed," Iran has further cemented its position as one of the world's most repressive countries in terms of press freedom. Iran is now also one of the largest jailers of journalists worldwide.
In an effort to prevent coverage of the protests, more than 70 journalists, many of whom were women, were arrested by the authorities. Even Iranian journalists abroad faced pressure, ranging from online harassment to death threats.
As CFWIJ has documented, Iran International TV announced on February 18 that it would be closing its London offices and moving its operations to Washington, DC, due to ongoing threats of assassination against its journalists.
On May 3, in Tehran, six agents from the Intelligence Ministry raided the parents' home of Shima Shahrabi, the exiled editor-in-chief of IranWire's Persian language service. During the operation, officers seized laptops, phones, bank cards, and money from the family's residence and subsequently arrested Shahrabi's brother.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns the arrest of Atena Farghadani. We are appalled by the relentless targeting she faces and call for her immediate release from custody. We demand the Iranian regime cease its persistent persecution of journalists and independent media outlets through arbitrary arrests and harsh sentencing following grossly unfair trials. We call on the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javaid Rehman, to stress the urgency of the declining press freedom in Iran to the attention of the General Assembly so appropriate action can be taken.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.