Journalist and blogger Ali Kalaei finds refuge in Eskilstuna
Ali Kalaei is a well-known Iranian journalist, blogger and human rights activist. Already at the ICORN GA in Paris in March, Kalaei participated in the debate about international protection opportunities for writers and journalists at risk.
Since 2005, Kalaei has written numerous articles and reports for a variety of news media, particularly for RoozOnline, Mellimazhabi and Gooya News, as well as his blogs Navaney1 and Navaney2.
In his writings, Kalaei deals with social and political issues in Iran, particularly about human rights violations. As a member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR), the Human Rights Activists News Agency and as a pro-democracy activist, Kalaei wrote critical pieces regarding the Iranian system of government and other political and social matters. Kalaei participated in the production of a documentary about the general elections from the Islamic Republic era to the February 2012 election.
Despite leaving Iran for Malaysia, Kalaei has continued writing and giving interviews regarding the present situation in Iran. Since March 2014 he has been an active member of the Peace Mark Magazine, an online human rights, social and legal magazine.
Due to his writings and human rights activism, Ali Kalaei was arrested by the security forces in Iran on several occasions. In 2011, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Kalaei to six years in prison – one year for ‘spreading propaganda against the system’ by way of publishing false reports about prisoners and giving interviews, and five years for ‘gathering and colluding with intent to commit crimes against national security’ through membership of CHRR. His earlier suspended sentence was also implemented, bringing his total prison term to seven years.
Ali Kalaei says:
“First time, Police arrested me during protests on March 8, 2007. And I was released after 4 or 5 hours. Next time again Police arrested me on 6 August, 2007 and again I was released after few hours but this time they needed guaranty of the Iranian lawyer named Saeed Ghasemi.
On 4 December, 2007, I was arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents on the sidelines of protest by freedom and equality seeking students of Tehran’s Universities. I spent 57 days in ward 209 in the Evin prison (Islamic Republic ministry of intelligence detention). During these days I was in solitary confinement for 36 days and they released me with 80 million Tomans on bail.
From the winter after my release, I started to corporate with the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR). Again on 10 May 2009, inside of the revolutionary court when I went there for the court of my previous arrest, the Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested me and took me to ward 209 in the Evin prison. And I spent 53 days there, during which I spent 29 days again in solitary confinement.
It means that they arrested me before the presidential election of 2009, and they only released me after the election during the first days of July, 2009. Because of my human right activities, they arrested me again in February 2010 for 8 days (during my obligatory military service) and I spent these 8 days in ward 36 of military Intelligence secret detention.
After all of these events, on January 2011, the court of the First Instance of the Revolutionary Court (branch 36) sentenced me to 6+1 years prison (by former Judge Pir abbasi, head of branch 36 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court) and the sentence was confirmed on August 2011. I used security force neglect in Imam Khomeini international airport and left IRAN and came to Malaysia.
May 2015 I went to Turkey and February 2016 I came to Sweden.“
Activities in civil and political organisations
Member “Chaharsooghe Andishe” NGO under president Khatamis era.
Member of ”Islamic Iran Participation Front”, 2006-2008
Member of ”Committee of Human Rights Reporters”, 2008-2011
Member of “Melli-Mazhabi activists outside of Iran”, ongoing
Social media editor for Peace Mark Magazine (Online Human rights Magazine), 2014 – ongoing
Journalist for RadioJibi (On-line Radio with website), 2015
Journalist for “Human Rights Activist In Iran news agency”, 2015-2016
Latest news
-
19.12.23
-
11.12.23
-
30.11.23
-
27.11.23
-
16.11.23