During the post election violence, Iranian authorities had detained several reporters and media correspondents as part of its international media ban. One of the detained journalists, Maziar Bahari, 42, a reporter with Newsweek has reportedly confessed to the act of doing the bidding of western governments.

According to Iran’s semi-official media outlet Fars News Agency, Mr. Bahari Canadian-Iranian, who had also worked as a correspondent with BBC and UK’s Channel 4 network has reportedly confessed to the authorities that, he had indeed written falsifying reports about Iranian violence and published them via Newsweek. An allegation that the magazine has strongly denied.

Newsweek is staunchly supporting Maziar Bahari. In an interview, Newsweek Paris Bureau Chief Chris Dickey said,

“He has been reporting for years without any possible hint of bias and beyond reproach. We think he’s one of the best reporters in the business.”

One of the most prestigious magazines, Newsweek has alleged Iran of violating human rights, as Mr. Bahari hasn’t been allowed to speak to his lawyer or hid family, since he was arrested on June 21st 2009.

According to Fars, Maziar Bahari in his confession reportedly said,

“The Western media are part of the capitalist machinery and liberal democratic governments of the West. When a Western reporter comes to Iran, like a politician or specialist, he will be made to fit into the Western complex. For that person, the interests of the Westerners, who take advantage of every occasion to stand against Iran, are of utmost importance. Unfortunately, sometimes we fall prey to mistakes, wrong feelings and we become greedy, thus falling into the traps of the foreigners.”

Human Rights activists and agencies are rejecting the alleged confession and have stated this move from Iran is a coercion of  free-will and amounts to great injustice. Amnesty International’s Hassiba Hadj-Sahraou said,

“We know from people we’ve talked to that people have been forced to make confessions on TV where they are supposed to have acted on instigation of foreign powers.” She has also alleged Iran’s government of intimidating the opposition and that the authorities are falsely blaming western governments for their own faults that has led to such chaotic situation in Iran.

Via CNN.