Lawyers Announce Issuance of Prison Sentence Notification; Hamidi and Mohammadi Must Report to Prison in Five Days

Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, the husband of Niloufar Hamidi, announced on X that this journalist "must go to prison within the next five days to serve a five-year sentence." In this regard, Parto Borhanpour and Hojjat Kermani, lawyers for Niloufar Hamidi, told 'Shahrvand' that "the notification for the execution of Niloufar Hamidi's sentence has been issued despite the 1401 amnesty directive." The lawyers expressed hope that "with the follow-ups of the judiciary and the government, the execution of the sentence will be halted." They stated that they are unaware of "the reason for the strictness and the non-applicability of the amnesty to their client." In another report, the Ham-Mihan newspaper announced that journalist Elham Mohammadi was also summoned to the first branch of the criminal enforcement court of the public prosecutor's office in Tehran's 33rd district to execute her five-year prison sentence. According to this report, on Saturday, October 28, 1403, Mohammadi was summoned to the first branch of the criminal enforcement court to report to Evin Prison within five days to serve her five-year sentence. Previously, the lawyers of Elham Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamidi, two journalists arrested for reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police and released after about 400 days, emphasized that they should be exempt from other charges under the 1401 amnesty directive and their cases should be closed. Following the statements of the spokesperson for the judiciary on Sunday morning, October 22, regarding the enforcement of the five-year prison sentence for Elham Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamidi, Elham Mohammadi's lawyer stated that her client's case "is subject to the 1401 amnesty directive" and the enforcement of the prison sentence is "legally meaningless" and "a clear violation of the public amnesty order." Shahabuddin Mirloohi said: "My client meets all the conditions of the amnesty directive; her arrest and case formation were in connection with the protests of 1401 and after September 25, 1401, and the remaining charges (regardless of detailed legal discussions and the validity of the charges and independent of all legal criticisms that can be made against the issued rulings) are all subject to amnesty and therefore, like thousands of others who were granted amnesty during the events of 1401, her case should also be subject to amnesty and closed." Elnaz Mohammadi, the sister of this journalist, also referred to the lawyer's statements, writing that despite her acquittal from the charge of "collaborating with a hostile government," the remaining charges "should be subject to the 1401 amnesty directive, but the case has gone to enforcement and our bad days continue." Furthermore, Parto Borhanpour and Hojjat Kermani, lawyers for Niloufar Hamidi, expressed their surprise at the spokesperson's statements, stating that "without any ifs or buts, the announced amnesty directive of 1401 should apply to their client, as they said, "the only obstacle to her benefiting from the announced amnesty was the charge of collaborating with hostile governments, from which she has been acquitted." These two lawyers emphasized that "the amnesty directive in 1401 explicitly states that those who were prosecuted during the protests of 1401, regardless of the stage of their case, should have their cases closed," and said: "We reiterate that what prevented the application of amnesty for Ms. Hamidi was the charge of collaborating with a hostile foreign government, and now that she has been acquitted of this charge, the judiciary must be accountable for why the announced amnesty has not been applied to her? Why has she been excluded? Why does the judiciary not take a position on the nearly 17 months of illegal temporary detention imposed on Ms. Hamidi?" In this regard, Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, Niloufar Hamidi's husband, wrote on X that "a few days before her birthday, they told her that her five-year prison sentence would be executed," while "her case should be closed." Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for the judiciary, announced on Sunday at a press conference that the "harshest punishment will be applied" regarding the cases of Niloufar Hamidi and Elham Mohammadi. Niloufar Hamidi and Elham Mohammadi, two journalists who were arrested for reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police, were temporarily released from Evin Prison after spending about 400 days on a bail of 10 billion tomans. One of the charges against them was "collaborating with a hostile government," which was dismissed in the appeals court. The United States 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.