Reporters Without Borders: Nasim Soltanbeigi and Saeedeh Shafiei Must Be Released Immediately

Reporters Without Borders has issued a statement calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Nasim Soltanbeigi and Saeedeh Shafiei, two imprisoned journalists in Iran. The organization noted that these two female journalists, like many of their colleagues in Iran, are paying the price for raising awareness during the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement. According to the statement released on Thursday, November 23, Ms. Shafiei began her prison term on Sunday, November 19, and Ms. Soltanbeigi on Tuesday, November 21. Reporters Without Borders stated that these two female journalists were tried on July 3 this year on charges such as conspiracy, participating in illegal gatherings, and propaganda against the Islamic Republic, with their sentences issued on August 1. After their lawyers filed for an appeal, the sentences were upheld on September 18. Ms. Soltanbeigi and Ms. Shafiei were temporarily released on February 7 last year after a month of detention for covering protests over the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini. The statement highlighted that 10 journalists who covered these protests are still in prison. Jonathan Dagher, head of the Middle East section of Reporters Without Borders, pointed out the ongoing "vendetta" of the Islamic Republic against journalists, stating: "Nasim Soltanbeigi and Saeedeh Shafiei, like their 10 colleagues who are in prison for covering the protests, are brave reporters." He added, "They deserve recognition, not imprisonment. We demand their immediate and unconditional release." Saeedeh Shafiei and Nasim Soltanbeigi are also banned from traveling abroad or joining any organization or group for two years after their release from prison. Reporters Without Borders concluded their statement by mentioning the 12-year sentence for Elahe Mohammadi and 13 years for Niloufar Hamedi, noting that currently, six female journalists are imprisoned in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Previously, on Sunday, November 12, Saeedeh Shafiei wrote on social media that she had been summoned to Branch 1 of the Evin Court to serve her sentence of three years and six months, and she was to report to Evin Prison on Tuesday, November 14. The husband of this journalist also tweeted that the request for retrial for Nasim Soltanbeigi and Saeedeh Shafiei was "rejected by the Supreme Court," and they must "report themselves to Evin Prison." The sentences issued in the primary court for these two journalists were upheld in Branch 36 of the Appeals Court, sentencing each to three years and six months for conspiracy and seven months and 16 days for propaganda against the regime. According to Hassan Homayoun, Saeedeh Shafiei's husband, the basis for these charges was "journalistic reports on poverty, discrimination, and inflation." According to the primary court ruling, namely Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, Saeedeh Shafiei and Nasim Soltanbeigi were sentenced to four years and three months in prison and a two-year travel ban for "conspiracy against national security" and "propaganda against the regime." They are also banned from membership in groups. The pressure on journalists in Iran intensified with the onset of nationwide protests at the end of September 2022, with at least 73 journalists and photojournalists detained in the second half of last year, further jeopardizing press freedom more than ever in the past 45 years. According to the latest report by Reporters Without Borders on media freedom published on May 2, 2023, Iran ranks 177th among 180 countries worldwide. A journalist residing in Iran previously told Voice of America that "pressures on the media in Iran" have "intensified significantly" following the nationwide protests in the second half of 2022, and the Islamic Republic's expectation from the media is "to produce propaganda bulletins," and due to "critical analyses," they are pressured under vague titles such as "blackening."