Six journalists arrested in Iran press clampdown

Six journalists have been arrested in the past week in Iran. The pro-reform weekly Safir Dashtestan (Dashtestan Ambassador) was closed on Monday and its publisher, editor and an editorial assistant were arrested for publishing a satirical article about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The week before three journalists with the Kurdish-language weekly Rouji Ha Lat (The Dawn) were arrested for no apparent reason. It is not known where they are being held. Another journalist, with the weekly Payam-e-Jonob has been charged with "disturbing the peace", and the paper's publisher has also received a court summons. The press watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, condemned the arrests, saying: "Any excuse will do in Iran to prevent journalists from expressing themselves." (Via Reporters without Borders)