Mohammad Davari ( fa, محمد داوری; born 1974) is an Iranian journalist. After he documented abuses of prisoners at Kahrizak detention center, he was sentenced to five years in prison by the Iranian government, drawing international protest on his behalf.

Early life

As a student, Davari volunteered to fight in the Iran-Iraq War, in which he was wounded in the eye and leg. He went on to become a journalist, acting as editor-in-chief for the ''Saham News'', the news website of opposition presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi. In early 2009, Davari began to document abuses at Kahrizak detention center, videotaping statements from prisoners who alleged that they had been raped, abused, and tortured, and posting the interviews on ''Saham News''. By July, the detention center was closed amid public uproar. On 8 September 2009, however, Davari was arrested when authorities launched a series of raids on the offices of opposition leaders. The ''Saham News'' office was sealed, and authorities confiscated documents, computers, and photographs. Davari was later sentenced to five years' imprisonment for "mutiny against the regime", and transferred to Evin Prison. According to the

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran The Center for Human Rights in Iran (formerly the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran; ICHRI) is an American non-government organization that aims to promote human rights in Iran. The group started in late 2007 when several human right ...

(ICHRI), he was then tortured in an attempt to make him testify against Karroubi. Davari's term was later increased by an additional year for his inability to pay a $5,000 fine levied against him for attending a teacher's union protest in 2006. In 2011, ICHRI reported that Davari's health was deteriorating due to the conditions of his confinement, and that he was suffering from severe depression. Davari's imprisonment received international attention, with

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...

, and the

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...

all issuing statements on his behalf. The Committee to Protect Journalists also awarded him the 2010 International Press Freedom Award, "an annual recognition of courageous journalism".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davari, Mohammad 1970s births Iranian dissidents Iranian human rights activists Iranian journalists Iranian prisoners and detainees Living people Prisoners and detainees of Iran National Trust Party (Iran) politicians People from Bojnord