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The human rights organization Amnesty International has requested that Iran free journalists imprisoned in the wake of violence which occurred after recent presidential elections in the country. The Iranian government maintains that it has only detained those that have played a role in influencing the recent instability.

News media have reported that dozens of journalists have been arrested in Iran, according to Amnesty International there may be up to 30 journalists imprisoned in the country. Amnesty International refers to the imprisoned journalists as "prisoners of conscience".

Associated Press reported that reporters for foreign news media outlets have been barred from covering recent events from streets in Iran, and in addition multiple foreign journalists have been forced to leave the country. According to Amnesty International Iason Athanasiadis-Fowden, reporter for The Washington Times, was arrested on about June 19, and Maziar Bahari of Newsweek was arrested on June 21. On June 22, approximately 20 of the 25 employees for the Iran-based newspaper Kalameh Sabz were taken into custody. Kalameh Sabs was founded in 2009 by Mir Hossein Mousavi, the opposition candidate in the recent presidential election. People have been detained for peacefully expressing their views.

—Jenny Leong

Jenny Leong, co-ordinator of Amnesty International in Australia, expressed concern to ABC Online about the well-being of the imprisoned journalists. "People have been detained for peacefully expressing their views and in the case of journalists it's even more shocking when they are prevented the ability to freely express themselves when it is precisely their job to be able to provide that information," said Leong.