All Charges Denied in Court; Elahe Mohammadi: I Am Proud to Stand with the People

Elahe Mohammadi's husband reported that the last session of the trial for this imprisoned journalist was held behind closed doors in Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, where she denied 'all charges' against her. On Wednesday, July 25, Saeed Parsaee tweeted that this session was held 'contrary to our request in a closed manner' and 'concluded with the final defense being heard.' He expressed hope that 'the clear defenses presented in court will be considered.' Elahe Mohammadi, a journalist for the Hemayesh newspaper, was arrested after traveling to the city of Saqez and reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police, and she remains in prison. According to Hemayesh, on Wednesday, Ms. Mohammadi read a text in the final moments of the court session, beginning her opening remarks with the phrase 'In the name of the pen.' She stated, 'I have been a journalist for 15 years,' and emphasized that 'throughout my professional career, I have done nothing other than speak for the people and take steps to improve their lives.' Elahe Mohammadi also stressed: 'I have had no connections with any foreign government, and I am proud to stand with the people to be their voice.' This imprisoned journalist asserted that 'instead of arresting journalists, security agencies, the judiciary, the government, and parliament should listen to the voices of the people,' adding: 'Not arrest journalists who have done their job and keep them in temporary detention for many months.' In front of the judge, she said: 'Niloofar Hamedi and I are being tried as representatives of the suffering and honorable body of Iranian journalism, while due to security crackdowns on honest and committed journalists, the authority of the media has been transferred abroad, and these severe actions against journalists have caused distress among the people.' According to Elahe Mohammadi, 'authorities, especially judicial authorities, must listen to the voices of the people, especially women and journalists who speak on their behalf, and not stand against their legitimate demands.' Additionally, see: Niloofar Hamedi in court: I am proud of my work as a journalist. Previously, Elahe Mohammadi's political guardian called for her release in an interview with Voice of America, emphasizing that he is amazed by the power of Elahe and Iranian women, stating that the Islamic Republic authorities have not responded to his requests regarding Elahe Mohammadi. Also, see: Exclusive; Elahe Mohammadi's political guardian: I am amazed by her power and that of Iranian women. The International Federation of Journalists expressed concern over the continued detention and lack of information regarding Ali Moslehi, a journalist and civil activist, who was arrested on July 19. This federation reported on Tuesday, July 24, referring to 'reports of lack of information and the place of detention' of Ali Moslehi, stating that he was arrested at his home in Kashan by security agents and 'only managed to inform his family about his situation through a phone call from the agents.' Mr. Moslehi had previously been arrested several times by security agencies and was last released from Kashan prison by posting a bail of 300 million tomans. The report indicated that 'it seems that Moslehi's positions' regarding the nationwide protests in Iran may have influenced the detention of this journalist, who works in local media in Kashan. Ahmad Zeidabadi, a political analyst and journalist, reported a new conviction by the Arak court related to his speech on May 23, 2009. This journalist wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday that the plaintiff in the case 'is apparently the police force of Arak County,' and Branch 101 of the General and Criminal Court of this city sentenced him on February 10, 2010, to 'one year of imprisonment and 50 lashes on permissible parts of the body' for 'propaganda against the regime and spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.' The ruling was issued in absentia under the title 'unknown location' while Ahmad Zeidabadi was imprisoned in Rajai Shahr prison at that time, and now, 14 years later, 'it has been issued for execution.' Ahmad Zeidabadi wrote: 'Even if, hypothetically, the accusation of propaganda against the regime had some basis, I have already endured the punishment for it, and therefore, based on the principle of 'res judicata,' the part related to propaganda against the regime in the ruling should logically be considered null and void.' He also emphasized that 'I generally rely on official news' and called for the judiciary to 'address this issue itself,' adding: 'Here, I declare that if one of the principlists, for example, Abdollah Ganji, confirms that I spread falsehoods in that speech, I am willing to take 100 lashes instead of 50 on permissible parts of the body.' Users on the eve of the trial of two journalists: We are the resonant voice of 'Elahe - Niloofar.' The Federation of Journalists called for the release of imprisoned journalists; media repression is condemned. The 300th day of Niloofar Hamedi's detention; the U.S. reaction to the arbitrary detention of journalists in Iran. Niloofar Hamedi's political guardian, after 295 days in prison: She has committed no wrongdoing and should be released. The first report of the UN fact-finding mission: Injustices continue after Mahsa Amini's death.