American-Iranian journalist Reza Valizadeh held in prison in Iran

In February, Reza Valizadeh wrote that members of his family in Iran they were detained to force him to return to the country. He reported that his older brother was summoned to the Ministry of Information in Tehran, and his father and other relatives were summoned to the intelligence department in Kurdistan. “My family was under pressure to convince me to return,” we read.

News published in August shows that the journalist came to Tehran in the spring. “I finally returned to my country after 14 years without any guarantee of safety, not even verbal,” he wrote.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), whose members include defenders, commented on Valizadeh's situation human rights in Iran. The organization reported that he was detained at the airport immediately after arriving in the country, then released and arrested again in September. The journalist is currently in Evin Prison in Tehran, where he is awaiting trial in an Iranian court. According to reports, Valizadeh was charged with collaborating with Persian-language foreign media. However, Iranian authorities have not yet confirmed his detention.

Department of State USA told the AP it was “working with Swiss partners who protect U.S. interests in Iran to gather more information on this case.” The department said: “Iran routinely falsely detains U.S. and foreign citizens for political purposes.” He assesses this “practice” as “cruel and contrary to international law.”

Also in 2007, Reza Valizadeh was arrested in Iran. The reason was the publication of anti-government journalistic texts on his Baznegar website.

In September 2023, five Americans held for years in Iran were released in exchange for five Iranians in American prisons. Additionally, $6 million in frozen Iranian assets were unblocked. Since then, Valizadeh has become the first U.S. citizen detained by Iran.