WASHINGTON (AFP) – A Canadian journalist working in Iran for Newsweek magazine was detained without charge by Iranian authorities Sunday, the magazine said, adding that Maziar Bahari had not been heard from since.“Newsweek strongly condemns this unwarranted detention, and calls upon the Iranian government to release him immediately,” the New York-based weekly news magazine said in a statement.It said Bahari, who has been living and covering Iran for the past decade, was “detained without charge by Iranian authorities and has not been heard from since.”“Mr Bahari’s coverage of Iran, for Newsweek and other outlets, has always been fair and nuanced, and has given full weight to all sides of the issues. He has worked well with different administrations in Tehran, including the current one,” it said.The statement noted that as many as 20 journalists and bloggers are reported to have been detained since Iran’s June 12 elections, which set off mass protests after official results gave incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory.
What makes this story even more curious is Mr. Bahari was featured in an interview done by Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones on his visit to Iran in the lead-up to the election. The segment just aired this past Wednesday.
In it, Mr. Bahari tries to clear up Western misconceptions about Iranians while emphasizing commonality with the United States. Of course, he does this as Jason Jones satirically tries to enforce every possible negative stereotype Americans may have about Iran, and as you can see, Mr. Bahari more than holds his own.
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I sincerely doubt that the Supreme Leader watches Comedy Central, but the timing is interesting nonetheless.
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