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12:45

US, Iranian-American journalist held for months in Iran

An Iranian-American journalist, who had been working for a broadcaster funded by the US government, has been detained in Iran for months. US authorities named him. Reza Valizadeh’s imprisonment was confirmed to The Associated Press by the US State Department. The journalist worked for Radio Farda, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty station, managed by the US World Media Group. In August, Valizadeh published two messages indicating that he had returned to Iran. “I arrived in Tehran on March 6, 2024. Before then, I had been waiting for talks with the intelligence department (the Revolutionary Guard),” he writes. “I returned to the country I finally have it after 13 years without a guarantee of safety, even verbally.”

For weeks, writes the AP, rumors have been circulating that Valizadeh would be arrested. The Human Rights Watch, which monitors issues in Iran, said he was stopped when he arrived in the country earlier this year, but was later released. forward. He was then arrested and sent to Evin Prison, where he will now face Iran’s Revolutionary Court, which usually holds hearings behind closed doors, the group said. The U.S. State Department confirmed to the AP that it was “aware of reports that this dual U.S.-Iranian citizen has been arrested in Iran” when asked about Valizadeh. “We are working with our com- partners from Switzerland to gather more information on this matter,” he said, although Tehran had no comment.