Organization 'Defending the Flow of Free Information': The Islamic Republic Prosecuted 236 Journalists and Media Outlets in Six Months

According to the organization 'Defending the Flow of Free Information', the Islamic Republic has prosecuted 236 cases involving media, journalists, and media activists in the first six months of this year. Based on this report, the heaviest sentences during this period were issued against Zhina Modarres Gorji, a women's rights activist and journalist, and Shirin Saidi, an economic journalist. Zhina Modarres Gorji was sentenced to 21 years in prison and exile to Hamadan prison, of which 10 years will be enforceable. Shirin Saidi was also sentenced to five years in prison. The organization 'Defending the Flow of Free Information' has linked the suppression of media and journalists to social events in Iran. According to this report, following four events in the past six months, including the attack on the anniversary ceremony of Qassem Soleimani, unprecedented military conflict between Iran and Israel, the publication of a BBC World Service report on how Nika Shakeri was killed, and the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, government mechanisms for suppressing journalists and media became active. The report continues that over the past six months, the Islamic Republic has continued to suppress media and journalists in a 'targeted' and 'continuous' manner. According to this non-profit organization, founded by a number of journalists, human rights researchers, and lawyers, the dissemination of falsehoods intended to confuse public opinion has been the 'most frequently' raised accusation against journalists and media. Based on this report, in the first six months of this year, 26 journalists and media activists, including seven women and 19 men, were sentenced to a total of more than 31 years in prison, 10 years in exile, 93 million tomans in fines, four years of exile, and four years of prohibition from practicing journalism. This report states that in these six months, the Islamic Republic violated the legal rights of journalists who were prosecuted at least 225 times. The organization 'Defending the Flow of Free Information' has emphasized that from the beginning of 2024 until the end of the sixth month, 61 media outlets have been prosecuted. This organization described the 'suppression of independent information in Iran' as an organized mechanism by the Islamic Republic. Reporters Without Borders has assessed the Islamic Republic as 'one of the most repressive governments in the world' regarding media freedom and classified Iran as 177th out of 180 countries in terms of freedom of expression. According to this ranking, only three countries, Vietnam, China, and North Korea, are ranked lower than Iran.