2024-01-14T17:17:56+00:00
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/ The Iranian authorities released two Iranian journalists who were serving long prison sentences for covering the death of the young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, on bail pending consideration of their appeal.
The Iranian judiciary had punished Nilofar Hamidi, who was the first to publish the news of Mahsa Amini’s death while in police custody for wearing a very loose head covering, and Eleheh Mohammadi, who wrote about Amini’s funeral, with seven and six years in prison respectively in October, on charges including spying with the American government. .
The Tehran court accused the two journalists of cooperating with the US government, colluding against national security and propaganda against the regime, according to the Associated Press.
Niloufar Hamidi works for the reformist Shargh newspaper, while Mohammadi also works for the reformist newspaper Ham Mehan, and they were arrested in September 2022.
In May last year, the United Nations awarded the two journalists its first Press Freedom Award for their commitment to truth and accountability.
Mahsa Amini’s death sparked months-long protests in dozens of cities across Iran.