We welcome the release of Russian journalist Yulia Yuzik from Iran

RUSSIA, Moscow, October 12 — The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the release of our colleague Yulia Yuzik who was detained by Iranian authorities in Tehran. However, we also urge the authorities to ensure that such treatment is not meted out to a journalist ever again.

Her detention and the treatment she received for more than a week is highly condemnable, but we are glad that our colleague has returned home safe and sound.

The manner in which Yulia was interrogated in Iran is appalling. Subsequent to her release, the Russian journalist and author shared her harrowing ordeal of being grilled by Iranian interrogators after she was detained in Tehran for over a week. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officers seized her passport at the Imam Khomeini International Airport and Yulia was later arrested from her hotel room on September 29, when she arrived for a private visit.

According to the Iranian government, the journalist was held over alleged visa violations. But her ex-husband, journalist Boris Voitsekhovsky, said that Iranian authorities suspected her of having connections with Israel’s intelligence services.Yulia also shared that she was accused of working as an analyst for Israel’s secret service by Iranian interrogators. She said that they presumed so due to her Jewish surname. We believe that it is highly unfair to target a journalist — or any citizen — based solely on their faith. Such level of stereotyping can result in serious harm for journalists.

This was not the first time Yulia has visited the Islamic Republic. She has previously lived and worked there as a journalist. The entire episode left a negative impact on the journalist’s emotional wellbeing. While in custody, she was also denied legal and consular access.

It was only after the intervention of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in Tehran that Iran was convinced to release her.

Iran is already known for its attacks on press freedom. We recently discussed in our report that it had been elevated to being the biggest jailer of women journalists in the world.

It was concerning for CFWIJ to find out that Yulia was forced to sit alone in a concretefloored cell with only a few blankets for her. She was under severe distress and blamed herself for placing her family in such vulnerability.

Yulia worked as a correspondent for a Russian media outlet and later came to Iran to work for PressTV’s program Iran Today. After getting a visa, she was given an apartment and was told to bring along her children; but eventually left the job. She came to Iran on an invitation by her former boss at Iran Today, as reported by Russian media.

Yulia has suggested that her ordeal was possibly related to a Facebook page she created after leaving Iran where she shared expertise regarding Middle East and wrote analytical opinions related to events in Iran, but was not aware of the implications of including Israeli news on the page. The journalist wrote about the reported defection of IRGC Brigadier General Ali Nasiri.

About her release, Yulia said that she was blindfolded and taken to an unknown destination in a car by some IRGC officers. She was eventually released and found herself at the airport, as an employee of the Russian Embassy received her.

No one should be subjected to such inhumane treatment. The Coalition For Women In Journalism would urge the Iranian authorities to do better and allow for press freedom to thrive in their country.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ.

Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org