Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the arrest of Amir Hossein Miresmaili, a journalist with the daily newspaper Jahan Sanat (Industry World), on 12 July because of a tweet about assistance provided by the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation to Palestinians in Gaza during the month of Ramadan. This powerful foundation is one of Iran’s most important charities and handles enormous sums of money. Overseen by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, it has sections in various countries including Palestine, Somalia and Afghanistan, and operates as a state within the state.
Miresmaili’s offending tweet confirmed a report that Gazan citizens had been assisted with funds originally gathered by the foundation to help Iranians. The foundation’s activities abroad are much criticized in Iran, where, according to official data, 20 million people live under the poverty threshold.
