Journalists' Guild: Prison Sentences of Hamidi and Mohammadi Should Be Suspended

The Journalists' Guild of Tehran Province has called on the head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic to use his authority to "suspend the sentences" of Niloufar Hamidi and Elahe Mohammadi, two journalists. Following their summons for the execution of their sentences, the detained journalists, who were arrested while reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the Guidance Patrol and the subsequent nationwide protests, requested the head of the Judiciary on Sunday, October 21, to suspend their sentences using his powers. Elahe Mohammadi, a reporter for the Ham-Mihan newspaper, and Niloufar Hamidi, a reporter for the Shargh newspaper, received separate notifications on Saturday, summoning them for the execution of their prison sentences. The Journalists' Guild of Tehran Province stated in a letter to Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the head of the Judiciary, that "since these two journalists have been acquitted of their main charge of having connections with hostile governments and logically should have been included in the announced general amnesty, their return to prison is indefensible." According to the notifications received by the two journalists, they must present themselves to the judicial authority for the execution of their sentences within the next four days. According to Parto Borhanpour and Hojjat Kermani, the lawyers for Niloufar Hamidi, the execution notification for her case was issued despite the 2022 amnesty directive. The lawyers expressed hope that "with the follow-ups from the Judiciary and the government, the execution of the sentence will be halted." They also mentioned that they are unaware of "the reason for the strictness and non-inclusion of the amnesty for their client." Additionally, it is noted that the U.S. government has repeatedly denied any connection or collaboration with these journalists and described the issuance of such sentences as an attempt by the Islamic Republic to suppress freedom of expression in Iran. The Islamic Republic's goal in enforcing the prison sentences of Niloufar Hamidi and Elahe Mohammadi has been discussed with the spokesperson of the Judiciary, who stated that the maximum punishment will be applied. The lawyers for Hamidi and Mohammadi argue that the execution of the prison sentence is meaningless and that the case should be closed. An update from the Judiciary regarding the two cases indicates five years of imprisonment for the journalists of Shargh and Ham-Mihan newspapers.