At Least Three Media Activists Summoned Over Comments on Nika Shakeri Case

The judiciary of the Islamic Republic has opened cases against at least three journalists and media activists in Iran for commenting on Nika Shakeri, a deceased protester. These comments were made in response to the release of documents regarding the sexual assault and murder of Nika Shakeri. Reports indicate that Marzieh Mahmoudi, Mohammad Parsi, and Asal Dadashloo have been summoned to the Culture and Media Court just before World Press Freedom Day. Meanwhile, the newspaper 'Ham-Mihan' reported on Thursday, May 2, that there was an 'indictment from the prosecutor's office against some journalists,' but did not specify the number of journalists involved. Marzieh Mahmoudi and Mohammad Parsi have announced on their social media pages that they have been indicted by the Tehran prosecutor's office. Ms. Mahmoudi, a former journalist for 'Tejarat News,' wrote on the social media platform 'X': 'A new case has been opened against me in the Culture and Media Court. There is no specific charge or details.' Mr. Parsi, the editor of the literary magazine 'Kando,' also wrote: 'I wrote about the injustice faced by Nika Shakeri at night and was summoned to the prosecutor's office in the morning. It has been six months since the biggest embezzlement in Iran's history was exposed, and no one has been arrested or even summoned...!' A BBC World investigative report on the details of the sexual assault and murder of Nika Shakeri by Islamic Republic agents has received widespread attention among social media users. In this context, the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Republic's judiciary, announced that it has filed charges against journalists and media activists who published 'false, insulting, and anti-regime content in cyberspace in collaboration with anti-revolutionary groups' regarding the Nika Shakeri case. This comes as 'BBC World' stated that it had informed the officials of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps about the content of this report before its publication, but they did not respond. Before the summons of several journalists to the Culture and Media Court, Amnesty International announced in its annual report on April 23 that the Islamic Republic had further restricted the freedom of expression of the Iranian people in the past year. Reporters Without Borders also introduced the Islamic Republic as 'one of the most repressive governments in the world' regarding media freedom, ranking Iran 177th out of 180 countries in terms of freedom of expression. Meanwhile, Behrouz Behzadi, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper 'Etemad,' reported on Thursday that the police contacted them regarding a report published by Etemad on Wednesday. This newspaper had reported on the dissatisfaction of shopkeepers in Tehran, who claimed that with the return of the Islamic Republic's 'morality police,' the number of their customers, especially women, had significantly decreased. One shopkeeper told Etemad that he cannot force people who do not believe in hijab. He criticized the economic conditions in Iran, adding: 'The economy is in ruins, and these events have exacerbated the situation, reducing our sales by about 20 to 30 percent.' In this context, Mr. Behzadi wrote that the police contacted the newspaper and accused them of 'lying (false reporting).' According to the editor-in-chief of Etemad, the police stated that 'you are blackening the image in Etemad and creating controversies,' and threatened his colleague who requested 'clarification and a response' by saying, 'You can't just give a response whenever you want. A reporter must come with us to see who they spoke to and prove it.' Based on this report, the police official threatened at the end that 'you must prove it. If you do not do this, we will intervene in another way.' Behrouz Behzadi expressed 'discontent and dissatisfaction with the police's position towards the newspaper,' stating that he believes it is his right under press law to inform the public of opinions, constructive criticisms, and suggestions from the people and officials. Over the past decades, there have been numerous reports of government pressure on media regarding their content. In the latest case, Saeed Seyf, the editor-in-chief and owner of the website 'Didban Iran,' announced on Wednesday that this website was 'unexpectedly' filtered on Tuesday evening 'without prior notice.' He emphasized that the servers of media outlets inside Iran are under 'Abaravan,' and filtering occurs without a 'judicial order.' 'Didban Iran' is an internet media outlet in Iran that began its activities eight years ago. This news and analytical website has previously published reports on corruption in various economic and judicial sectors. Keyvan Rahimi, the manager of the Telegram channel 'Persman Saqez,' has been arrested again. Parisa Salehi, a journalist and student, stated before being transferred to prison: 'Attachment to Iran is not a crime.' The Tehran prosecutor has filed charges against a journalist for publishing a video of people's reactions to the death sentence issued for Tomaj Salehi. The uncertainty continues for Mehdi Afshar Nik, a jailed journalist and filmmaker; the prosecutor is preventing bail.