Reporters Without Borders Condemns 'Sham Trial' of Imprisoned Journalists; Niloufar Hamedi Denies All Charges

Reporters Without Borders condemned the sham trials of Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi in a statement. The organization stated that these two journalists should be immediately released instead of facing potential condemnation. Jonathan Dagher, head of the Middle East desk at the organization, remarked: "The fact that Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi were unable to meet with their lawyers even a few days before the trial is indicative of injustice, and its sole purpose is to legitimize the harassment of these two journalists. We demand their immediate release." Imprisoned journalist Niloufar Hamedi denied all charges against her during the first trial session held at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court. Niloufar Hamedi is a journalist for Shargh newspaper who was arrested following her report on the death of Mahsa Amini and remains in prison. Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, Niloufar Hamedi's husband, tweeted on Tuesday, June 9, that this closed trial, presided over by Abolghasem Salavati, lasted "less than two hours" and that "family members were not allowed to attend," and "the lawyers were also not given the opportunity to defend." According to Hamedi's husband, she "denied all charges during this session and emphasized that as a journalist, she acted within the law and did not take any action against the security of Iran." Ajorlou also wrote that "the continuation of the proceedings has been postponed to future sessions, the dates of which are still unknown." Several friends and colleagues of Niloufar Hamedi visited the court in hopes of seeing her, but the session was closed, and they were unable to see the imprisoned journalist. Maryam Shekarani, the economic group editor of Shargh newspaper, tweeted that when they were "disappointed at not seeing Niloufar Hamedi and were busy saying goodbye," Hamedi "passed by in a Samand with tinted windows" and waved in response to those who shouted upon seeing her. The judiciary's news agency, Mizan, called the statements of Elahe Mohammadi's lawyer "illegal" and claimed that she made "false statements" about "the details of the court session." Shahab Mirloohi, Elahe Mohammadi's lawyer, stated that the Revolutionary Court is not qualified to handle this case, and in an interview with Ham-Mihan newspaper, he said that during the closed court session on Tuesday, "lawyers were not given any opportunity to defend or express anything." He emphasized that the case should be handled in a "criminal court with a jury and publicly" and stated that "the majority of this case concerns the journalistic activities or comments and writings of Ms. Mohammadi, and it is unclear why a case that is a clear example of a press and political case is being held in the Revolutionary Court, contrary to Article 168 of the Constitution, without the possibility of free attendance by citizens and media and without a jury." Mirloohi stressed that some of his client's fundamental rights have been violated and that incorrect claims have been made in the case. He added: "My client has been held in solitary confinement for a long time, and she, as a well-known journalist, has been in temporary detention for eight months without any logical or legal justification." Mizan news agency announced that the proceedings for Elahe Mohammadi's case are ongoing and claimed that "lawyers will have sufficient opportunity to present their defenses." Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are among the journalists who were arrested in the early days of the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini for reporting. The judiciary has accused these two journalists of "collaborating with the U.S.," a charge that the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department has explicitly denied. Matthew Miller, in response to a question from a Voice of America reporter regarding the case of these two imprisoned journalists, stated: "We reject these accusations. They are clearly untrue." The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department added: "During the protests, Iranian officials repeatedly violated the civil rights of Iranians and punished them for what constitutes fundamental individual freedoms. This includes not only members of the Iranian community who took to the streets to protest but also journalists in the country (Iran)." A collective demand from journalists: the trial of Elahe Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi should be public; Kayhan: they took the lead. The date for the trial of Elahe Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi, two detained journalists, has been determined after months of uncertainty. The trial of two journalists and two political activists will be held in a closed manner. The journalists' association has requested a "fair and public trial" for Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi. In response to Voice of America, the U.S. rejected the Islamic Republic's claims regarding Elahe Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi. The "Freedom of Writing" award was presented to Narges Mohammadi; the American PEN Association awarded this prize to Mrs. Mohammadi's husband. The Iranian Writers' Association called for the unconditional release of all imprisoned journalists in Iran. Narges Mohammadi emphasized the role of the Islamic Republic in the poisoning of students. Three imprisoned female journalists in Iran won the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize. Exclusive: a journalist in Iran: journalists did not allow the distortion of reality.