Two journalists sentenced to 25 years for reporting on Mahsa Amini’s death

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Staff Writer
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In a stark blow to freedom of the press, two Iranian journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who had reported on the death and burial of Mahsa Amini, have been handed hefty prison sentences totaling 25 years.
In a stark blow to freedom of the press, two Iranian journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who had reported on the death and burial of Mahsa Amini, have been handed hefty prison sentences totaling 25 years.

In a stark blow to freedom of the press, two Iranian journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who had reported on the death and burial of Mahsa Amini, have been handed hefty prison sentences totaling 25 years.

 

The two have already spent over a year behind bars for merely bringing the truth to light. Hamedi and Mohammadi were initially detained in Qarchak Prison, infamously known for its harsh conditions. On May 1, 2023, they were transferred to Evin Prison. The 15th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran passed the judgement, with the controversial Judge Salavati at its helm.

Niloufar Hamedi, a dedicated photojournalist for the Shargh newspaper, faced a 13-year sentence: seven years for “collaboration with the US hostile government,” five years for “assembly and collusion for committing crimes against national security,” and one year for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Hamedi’s groundbreaking work included capturing the poignant first photo of Mahsa Amini in a coma, which she subsequently published.

 

Mahsa’s parents were in the hospital
Mahsa’s parents were in the hospital

 

Elaheh Mohammadi, a journalist for Ham-Mihan newspaper, received a 12-year sentence: six years for the same “collaboration with the US hostile government” charge, five years for “assembly and collusion for committing crimes against national security,” and an additional year for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Mohammadi had courageously penned a detailed report on Mahsa Amini’s funeral and had also managed to secure an exclusive interview with her grieving father.

Further tightening the noose on their personal freedoms, both journalists have been handed supplementary punishments. These include a two-year ban on participating in any political party, group, or association, as well as bans on engaging in cyberspace activities, media, and the press.

The two journalists had their first and second trial sessions on May 30 and July 25, 2023, respectively. If the judgements are not overturned upon appeal, Hamedi and Mohammadi will be imprisoned for seven and six years, respectively, given the conventions of the Iranian legal system.

 

Mahsa Amini (left) now buried under dirt in Aichi cemetery in Saqqez (right)
Mahsa Amini buried under dirt in Aichi cemetery in Saqqez 

 

These unsettling verdicts have raised eyebrows and caused concerns over the state of press freedom in Iran. Both journalists were arrested within a day of each other, Hamedi on September 22, 2022, followed by Mohammadi on September 23.

With these sentences, a chilling message has been sent to journalists in Iran: that truth-telling comes at a perilous cost. The international community watches on with bated breath, hoping for justice to prevail for Hamedi and Mohammadi.

 

 

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu

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