By NNN-KUNA,
Brussels : The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), condemned Friday the Iranian government for forcing al-Arabiya TV bureau chief Hassan Fahs from the country because they were unhappy with his reporting.
“This is censorship of the worst kind,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White in a statement. “It shows that the government is trying to intimidate journalists and control the reporting that they carry out. It completely contravenes all principles of free expression and should be condemned by the international community,” he said.
An official at the Ministry of Culture and the Islamic Guidance in Tehran Wednesday told the official Iranian news agency IRNA that Fahs’ visa “had expired and was not extended due to his performance in Iran” and that Fahs had been told by Iranian officials that they did not like his work.
The worlds biggest journalists group is asking the government to review its decision to expel Fahs and to allow the bureau to continue.
The Brussels-based IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide.