Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi Summoned to Evin Prison to Serve Sentences

Lawyers for Niloufar Hamedi, a journalist, state that despite her case being eligible for closure under the law and according to the 2022 amnesty directive, she has been ordered to report to serve her five-year prison sentence within five days. The Telegram channel of the Ham-Mihan newspaper reported on Saturday, October 20, that Elahe Mohammadi, a reporter for the same newspaper, has also been notified to report to Evin Prison within five days to serve her five-year sentence. The lawyers, Partow Borhanpour and Hojjat Kermani, stated in an interview with the Shargh network that she should be granted amnesty, but according to the order issued and delivered to her today, she must report to Evin Prison. They emphasized that regardless of the validity of the charges against Hamedi, based on the same law under which she was sentenced to five years, she qualifies for amnesty. They questioned why Mohammadi should not benefit from this law and what the reason for this strictness is. They argued that even if she does not qualify for amnesty based on all legal principles and ethical teachings, due to the differing interpretations, the interpretation should favor the accused and she should be granted amnesty. Last week, Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, announced that the five-year prison sentences for Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, journalists for the Shargh and Ham-Mihan newspapers, would be enforced. He stated that these two journalists, who were arrested during the unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini, were sentenced to five years for 'colluding against national security' and one year for 'propaganda against the regime,' with the harsher sentence of five years being applied. The lawyers for Hamedi and Mohammadi emphasized in separate interviews on October 15 that their clients are eligible for the '2022 amnesty directive.' Hamedi and Mohammadi were arrested following their coverage of the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of the morality police and her burial in September 2022. Both journalists denied all charges against them during their final court session last year, asserting that they were 'the voice of the people in their journalism and take pride in it.' After more than a year of temporary detention, they were sentenced to long prison terms in a court presided over by Judge Salavati. The Tehran Court of Appeals had previously set bail for each of these journalists at 10 billion tomans, and they were temporarily released.