Journalist Summoned to Court for Protesting 'Strange Gift' for Female Athlete

A journalist has reported being summoned to court due to a complaint from the General Directorate of Sports and Youth of Alborz Province regarding his protest against the gifting of a 'teapot' by this governmental body and the city council of Mohammadshahr in Karaj to a female athlete. Mostafa Faraghat, a journalist residing in Alborz Province, wrote on his Twitter account: 'I told the hardworking, humble, patient, and dedicated manager regarding the gifting of a teapot to Sara Abdolmaleki, 'Put your hat higher.' This journalist also published an image from the 'Sana' system related to the notification from the judicial system of the Islamic Republic, which mentions that his charges include 'disruption of public order and comfort, insult to ordinary individuals, and dissemination of falsehoods.' Sara Abdolmaleki, who won a silver medal at the 'Paracanoe Asia Championships' in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in May, announced at the beginning of June that she received a 'teapot and kettle' as a gift and recognition from the city council of her residence, which attracted attention on social media. In response to the city council and municipality's action, this Asian medalist in women's sports sarcastically remarked, 'God willing, the Olympics of flasks.' Abdolmaleki, from Karaj, Alborz Province, is a former rugby player who joined the Iranian women's national rugby team in 2011 but suffered a severe injury and spinal cord injury in a car accident in late 2015. After a period of recovery, she continued her sports career in canoeing with a focus on 'paracanoe.' On the other hand, the action of the General Directorate of Sports and Youth of Alborz Province in suing Mostafa Faraghat for protesting such a gift has caught the attention of some social media users, who see it as part of other 'strange' accusations and rulings by the Islamic Republic's courts against media personnel in recent months. Farhad Fakhrabadi, a journalist, tweeted: 'The type of court cases against journalists is becoming stranger; after Meryam Shekarani's accusations of 'China-phobia and Russia-phobia,' it was Mostafa Faraghat's turn to be tried for telling a revolutionary manager 'Put your hat higher.' 'Paracanoe,' in which Sara Abdolmaleki has excelled, is a new discipline under canoeing that has recently joined regional competitions, including the Asian Games, and has been included in the Olympic and Paralympic competitions. According to the latest report by 'Reporters Without Borders' on 'Media Freedom,' published on May 2 of this year, Iran ranks at the bottom of the list of 180 countries, standing at '177th place.' Sara Abdolmaleki's remark about the teapot and kettle gifted by the Karaj city council: 'God willing, the Olympics of flasks.' Human Rights Watch: The trial of three female journalists in Iran is a continuation of 'relentless repression.' Annual report on 'Artistic Freedom in the World': Continuation of censorship and systematic restrictions in Iran. The International Federation of Journalists condemned the media crackdown by the Islamic Republic by publishing a list of imprisoned journalists.