Raisi's Assistant: I Was Not Allowed to Attend the Court of Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi

The assistant to Ebrahim Raisi in the field of 'Rights and Social Freedoms' claimed that she attempted to attend the court of imprisoned journalists Elahe Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi, but was not permitted due to the 'non-public nature of the court.' Sekineh Pad emphasized in an interview with the Farhikhtegan newspaper that she had spoken with the Chief Justice of Tehran Province and Judge Salavati about this matter, 'but given that I was from another branch, attending the court was not possible.' She claimed to have challenges with two political factions and stated, 'When I tweet, the revolutionaries say, who are you to talk about freedom of expression?' Sekineh Pad expressed surprise at the reaction she received after tweeting articles 24 and 25 of the Constitution. In part of her remarks, she stated that allowing women into stadiums is among the issues that have no religious or legal problems and 'has mostly been a resistance that could have been overcome,' adding that 'it is unbecoming for FIFA to impose something on us, and this is our weakness.' Regarding the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill, she noted that she had 'no involvement at any stage' in drafting this bill and mentioned that 'we have defined responsibilities for 32 legal entities and again engaged several agencies in this bill.' Sekineh Pad considered various sections of this bill to be in contradiction with the Constitution and other laws, stressing that 'if this bill is passed in the same form, meaning with these 70 articles I have seen, it will not solve the issue it aims to address.' Niloufar Hamedi, a journalist for Shargh newspaper, and Elahe Mohammadi, a journalist for Ham Mihan newspaper, were arrested in the early days of the nationwide protests in 1401 (2022) following the death of Mahsa Amini. The popular protests, with the slogan 'Women, Life, Freedom,' began in Iran on September 16, 1401 (2022) after Mahsa (Zhina) Amini died while in the custody of the morality police. Nearly a year after the start of these protests, social relations and women's demands have taken on a new tone, and with a new approach from part of society against compulsory hijab, the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill has become one of the main challenges for the Islamic Republic. Saideh Fathi Abadi: The Islamic Republic does not even comply with its own laws regarding Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi. The Tehran Journalists' Association expressed concern about the precarious state of journalism in Iran. Journalist Day and 'symbolic appreciation' of 'loyal' journalists; independent journalists are in detention or under pressure. The U.S.: The trial of Elahe and Niloufar is a blatant attempt by the Islamic Republic to intimidate journalists. The judiciary claims: The case of Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi has nothing to do with the profession of journalism.