Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, imprisoned journalists, released on bail

After 400 days of detention, Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, two journalists who were arrested while covering reports related to the death of Mahsa Amini, were temporarily released from Evin prison after posting bail of 10 billion tomans. Parto Borhanpour, the lawyer for Niloufar Hamedi, confirmed this news in an interview with Shargh newspaper on Sunday, January 14. The release of these two journalists followed the conversion of their detention order to bail by the Tehran Court of Appeals, with each posting 10 billion tomans for their release. Previously, Elahe Mohammadi's husband had announced that this imprisoned journalist had filed a complaint against Abolghasem Salavati, the judge of the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, for "failure to enforce the law." The temporary release of these two journalists has been welcomed by many. Saeed Parsaee announced this news on his X account, stating: "Over these 15 months, it has been proven to us that not only the constitution but also the laws of criminal procedure and regulations regarding prisoners' rights are merely meaningless words on paper. For this reason, Elahe has filed four complaints against Abolghasem Salavati in the past month for not enforcing the law addressed to the judges' court, the government employees' prosecutor's office, the presidency of the Revolutionary Court, and the criminal court." Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, Niloufar Hamedi's husband, also reported on December 9 about her complaint against Judge Salavati. Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, two imprisoned female journalists in Evin prison, were recently sentenced by Judge Salavati to a total of 25 years in prison and additional punishments. These two journalists were arrested during last year's nationwide protests for covering the news of Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police and were accused of "collaborating with the hostile government of the United States," an accusation they strongly denied. Elahe Mohammadi was sentenced to six years in prison for what the Islamic Republic's judiciary described as "collaboration with the hostile government of the United States," five years for "gathering and colluding to commit a crime against national security," and one year for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran." Niloufar Hamedi was sentenced to seven years for "collaborating with the hostile government of the United States," five years for "gathering and colluding to commit a crime against national security," and one year for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran," with seven years being enforceable upon final confirmation. The United States government has repeatedly denied any connection or collaboration with these journalists and described such rulings as the Islamic Republic's attempt to suppress freedom of expression in Iran. Three imprisoned female journalists were denied visitation due to singing a protest song. The ban on visitation and phone contact for Nasim Soltanbeigi in Evin prison has been extended. The International Federation of Journalists condemned punitive actions against three imprisoned female journalists. A letter from Sepideh Rashno to Sarvnaz Ahmadi stated: "The women's ward of Evin is at the forefront of 'Women, Life, Freedom.'" The deprivation of three detained female journalists from visitation was due to singing a protest song.