- By Aditya Jha
- Sun, 03 Nov 2024 03:25 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The authorities in the US State Department on Sunday informed that an Iranian-American journalist, who once worked for a US government-funded broadcaster, is believed to be detained by Iran for months now. The department also raised concern about the threats by Iran to the US and Israel, the Associated Press reported.
Reza Valizadeh, the journalist who is allegedly detained, worked for Radio Farda, an outlet under Radio Free Europe that's overseen by the US Agency for Global Media. In February, he wrote on the social media platform X that the authorities detained his family members in an effort to see him return to Iran. Valizadeh apparently posted two messages in August suggesting he had returned to Iran even though Iran's theocracy viewed Radio Farda as a hostile outlet. “I arrived in Tehran on March 6, 2024. Before that, I had unfinished negotiations with the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence department,” the message read in part. “Eventually I came back to my country after 13 years without any security guarantee, even a verbal one.”
The Human Rights Activists News Agency said that Valizadeh was detained on arrival to the country this year. The HRANA monitors cases in Iran, and the statement was released after rumours circulated for weeks that Valizadeh had been detained. The agency stated that Valizadeh was released and then rearrested and sent to Evin prison, where he now faces a case in Iran's Revolutionary Court, which routinely holds closed-door hearings in which defendants face secret evidence. The agency also stated that he was arrested by Iran in 2007 as well.
However, Iran has not acknowledged the detention of Valizadeh, and even Iran's mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment immediately. Earlier, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a warning against Israel and the US. The warning was issued as long-range B-52 bombers reached the Middle East in an attempt to deter Tehran.