Judiciary's Claim: The Cases of Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi Are Unrelated to Journalism

The spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's judiciary claimed that the cases of Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, which he stated are currently in the 'drafting of the verdict' stage, have 'no connection to the profession of journalism' and the reporting of Mahsa Amini's death. Masoud Setayesh, the judiciary spokesperson, asserted on Tuesday, August 1, during his weekly press conference, that these two imprisoned journalists 'had collaborations with the hostile government of the United States at certain times' and that 'a complete report on this matter will soon be made available to the public.' This claim comes despite U.S. State Department officials previously dismissing such accusations as 'baseless' and explicitly denying any connection between Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi with the U.S., calling for their release. Additionally, Niloufar Hamedi, a journalist for Shargh newspaper, and Elahe Mohammadi, a journalist for Ham Mihan newspaper, were arrested in the early days of the nationwide protests in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini. Their trial concluded last week after two sessions, and they are currently being held in Evin prison. During the closed trial, both journalists denied all charges against them. Anika Kloza, a German parliament member and political sponsor of Niloufar Hamedi, previously told Voice of America that she has committed no wrongdoing, has violated no laws, and should be released. The President of the International Federation of Journalists recently described the imprisonment of journalists for performing their professional duties as 'alarming' and urged Iranian authorities to drop the charges against Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi. Furthermore, these two imprisoned journalists in Iran won the 'Freedom Award' for 2023 from the National Press Club of America, named after 'John Abushen,' which is the most prestigious award from this journalism and press organization in the U.S.