Maryam Vahidiyan, Journalist, Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

Maryam Vahidiyan, a journalist in the labor sector of Iranian media, has been sentenced to four years in prison on charges of "conspiracy to disrupt national security." This ruling, issued by the primary court presided over by Judge Afshari, is suspended for five years. Vahidiyan, who is associated with the ILNA news agency and the Shargh network (the website of Shargh newspaper), was arrested on the evening of December 6 during the height of protests. Security forces arrested her at her home on her birthday and transferred her to Ward 2-A of Evin Prison. This journalist, who was released from prison after a month of detention, previously stated in an interview with Shargh newspaper that her case did not qualify for "conditional amnesty." During last year's protests, dozens of journalists were arrested and sentenced to prison. Reza Moieni, a journalist and human rights activist, described the arrest of about one hundred journalists over the past eight months in Iran as unprecedented in a conversation with the Persian section of Voice of America. Recently, the Iranian Writers' Association issued a statement calling for the unconditional release of all imprisoned journalists and emphasized that press freedom is a fundamental indicator of freedom of expression in society. According to the latest report from Reporters Without Borders, Iran ranks 177th out of 180 countries in terms of media freedom, with only Vietnam, China, and North Korea faring worse. Reporters Without Borders described the media freedom situation in Iran as "worrisome" and labeled the Islamic Republic as "one of the most repressive governments in the world" in this regard. Pressure on labor and guild activists has intensified; Maziar Sidenjad has been summoned to prison. The editors of two newspapers, "Etemad" and "Jahan San'at," have been summoned to the prosecutor's office. The new ranking of media freedom by Reporters Without Borders places Iran at the bottom of the list. Three imprisoned female journalists in Iran have been awarded the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize.