An Iranian-American journalist sentenced to ten years in Iran
Reza Valizadeh is an Iranian-American journalist with a long career in Persian-language international media. For more than ten years he worked for Radio Farda, the Persian-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, covering politics, civil rights, and Iranian society. Earlier in his career, he also collaborated with other international outlets, including Radio France and Voice of America. For many years he lived outside Iran, between Europe and the United States, working as a journalist and freelancer.
After nearly fifteen years abroad, in March 2024 Valizadeh decided to return to Iran for family reasons, in particular to care for his elderly parents. Prior to his return, he had been in contact with Iranian officials and believed he could enter the country without immediate risk. Initially, he was allowed to return, but the situation changed a few months later.
On September 22, 2024, he was arrested in Tehran by security agents linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His documents, including his passport, were confiscated, and he was transferred to Evin Prison, notorious for holding journalists, activists, and political dissidents. Authorities accused him of “collaboration with a hostile government,” a broad and commonly used charge in cases involving journalists with ties to the West.
In December 2024, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced him to ten years in prison. In addition to the prison term, the ruling imposed further restrictions: a ban on leaving Iran, a prohibition on residing in Tehran and neighboring provinces after his release, and a two-year ban on political activity. The sentence was later upheld on appeal.
During his detention, Valizadeh spent periods in solitary confinement and had limited access to legal counsel. In 2025, he began a hunger strike to protest the authorities’ refusal to return his personal documents, which were necessary both for his legal defense and for managing his professional and family life abroad. According to relatives and human rights organizations, his health has deteriorated due to harsh prison conditions and inadequate medical care.
His case has sparked strong international reactions. U.S. authorities have officially recognized his detention as unjust, and several press freedom organizations have called for his immediate release, denouncing the use of Iran’s judicial system as a tool of repression against journalists.
