International Federation of Journalists Condemns Prison Sentences for Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi

On Tuesday, October 24, the International Federation of Journalists condemned the prison sentences issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran for Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, two imprisoned journalists, calling them unjust. The court convicted the two journalists on charges of 'collaboration with the United States as a hostile country against Iran', 'conspiracy to commit a crime against national security', and 'propaganda activities' against the Islamic Republic. According to the ruling of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, Elahe Mohammadi, a compatriot journalist, was sentenced to 6 years in prison for the charge of collaborating with the hostile government of the United States, 5 years for conspiracy to commit a crime against national security, and 1 year for propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Niloufar Hamedi, a detained journalist from Shargh, was also sentenced to 7 years in prison for collaborating with the hostile government of the United States, 5 years for conspiracy to commit a crime against national security, and 1 year for propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic. If the ruling is confirmed by the appeals court, the harsher punishment (6 years for Elahe Mohammadi and 7 years for Niloufar Hamedi) will be enforced. The International Federation of Journalists again urged the Iranian authorities to immediately release all journalists and media staff imprisoned in Iran. Anthony Bellanger, the Secretary-General of this federation, described the prison sentences for these two women journalists as 'shocking and unjust'. He stated, 'Iranian officials consistently target journalists with undue punishments. We call on the Iranian judiciary to drop all charges against Ms. Hamedi and Ms. Mohammadi and allow journalists to operate freely according to international documents that Iran must adhere to.' Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi were the first to report on the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police last summer and her funeral. Amnesty International also condemned the lengthy prison sentences for Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi on Tuesday and called for their immediate release. This human rights organization criticized the 'severely unjust' trial of these two journalists in a statement published on its Instagram page, emphasizing that 'journalism is not a crime.'