Two courageous journalists in Iran face death penalty

Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi have been detained in prison for almost two months. Their crime: they reported on the death of a young woman.

The 21-year old Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iranian »morality police« in September 2022 for supposedly breaking hijab rules. There are reports she was severely beaten up in custody. Amini fell into a coma, was rushed to the hospital but died three days later.

The picture that sent shockwaves around the world

The journalist Niloofar Hamedi, who works for the well known Iranian newspaper Shargh was the first to get news of the incident. She took a picture of Amini's father and grandma at the hospital, and uploaded it on Twitter. »Help our daughter« the father told her, according to the caption.

Hamedi's post went viral, sparking anger among Iranians and causing people to start protesting in the streets. A few days later Hamedi's house was raided by the Iranian police, arresting her.

Meanwhile, Elaheh Mohammadi, a female journalist working for the reformist Ham-mihan newspaper, was covering the funeral of Amini in her hometown.

She witnessed mourners at the funeral removing their hijabs and chanting »death to the dictator«. When security forces arrived, they used pepper spray on the crowd, injuring as many as 30.

Seven days later, journalist Mohammadi was arrested by the Iranian authorities.

A spokesperson of the Iranian Judiciary said that both Mohammadi and Hamedi are being investigated for »acts against national security«.

Later, the Iranian Intelligence Service accused them of espionage for the CIA. If convicted, the two women possibly face the death penalty.

Their lawyer dismissed the accusations, and over 300 journalists from Iran are calling for them to be released.

»This witch hunt is a cowardly attempt by the Islamic Republic […] to deflect attention from the repressive policies that gave birth to the […] protest movement,« said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Locked away

Until today, Hamedi and Mohammadi are being held in Evin Prison, Tehran, infamous for its mistreatment of political prisoners. According to their lawyer, they have been denied visitors and have no access to legal consulting.

And they are not alone

Over forty journalists have been arrested in Iran this year alone, many of whom since the mass protests started in September.

The danger of being forgotten

The only thing that can help them at the moment is increased pressure by the international community. The organisation »Reporters Without Borders« has asked the United Nations to negotiate the release of Mohammadi, Hamedi and their colleagues.

The future of two respectable journalists remains in the hands of a repressive regime, who feels threatened by the revolution ignited by their reporting. Share their story, and remember their faces. They have not committed a crime; they have only carried out their journalistic duties.