Secret Sentencing of Journalists from Voice of America; 'Justice Ali' Releases More Documents

Following the leaked documents from the hacking of the Iranian judiciary by the hacking group 'Justice Ali', evidence has emerged revealing the fabrication of cases against several journalists from Voice of America and other media outlets, along with the issuance of their prison sentences to the execution branch of the judiciary. According to a document released during the hacking of the judiciary's documents, the cases of a number of journalists working in the Persian section of Voice of America, Radio Farda, BBC, Manoto, and Iran International were sent to the 'Criminal Execution Branch of the Tehran Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office' in Ordibehesht 1401 (May 2022) with the announced punishment of 'prison sentence' for the charge of 'propaganda against the regime'. The names of journalists including Aryan Raisbaf, Sara Dehghan, Mehdi Flahati, Hamideh Armideh, Niyousha Beghrati, Roozbeh Bavalhari, Mahtab Vahidi Rad, Fahimeh Khodrheidari, Payam Yazdian, Arash Sigarchi, and Mehdi Aghazamani, who are journalists and collaborators of Voice of America, as well as Behrouz Sooraserafil, the late journalist and former collaborator, and Setareh Derakhshesh, the former head of the Persian section of Voice of America, are seen in this document. Additionally, Babak Ghafouri Azar and Vahid Pourastad from Radio Farda, Keyvan Abbasi from Manoto TV, Mahmoud Enayat, Ali Asghar Ramadanpour, Mehdi Parpanji, and Fardad Farahzad from Iran International, as well as Rezita Lotfi, Enayat Fani, and Farnaz Ghazizadeh from BBC Persian, are other journalists whose names are mentioned in this document. Based on the released document, this case was closed in Aban 1401 (October 2022). In another case, with complaints from 'Bank Sarmayeh', 'the General Prosecutor's Office', and 'the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization', several journalists including Niyousha Beghrati, Mehdi Flahati, Aryan Raisbaf, Arash Sigarchi, Mahtab Vahidi Rad, Hamideh Armideh, Sara Dehghan, Roozbeh Bavalhari, Mehdi Aghazamani, Fahimeh Khodrheidari, and Payam Yazdian from Voice of America, as well as Behrouz Sooraserafil, the late journalist and former collaborator, and Setareh Derakhshesh, the former head of the Persian section of Voice of America, have been accused of 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic'. Other journalists mentioned in this document include Morteza Kazemian, Enayat Fani, Sadegh Sadeqi Nejad, Masoud Behnoud, Simin Ali Nejad, Bijan Farhudi, Keyvan Abbasi, Babak Ghafouri Azar, Sina Matlabi, Armin Khameh, Vahid Pourastad, Mohammad Hossein Rasam, Bita Malakouti, Ali Asghar Ramadanpour, Ali Shirazinasab, Soheil Nazemi Zadeh, Fardad Farahzad, Rezita Lotfi, Mahmoud Enayat, Negin Shiraghayi, Babak Amini, Marjan Eskandari, Daryoush Karimi, Mehdi Parpanji, Farshad Manafi, Omid Nikforjam, Ebrahim Khalili, and Abbas Azimi. Other defendants in this case include 'KFC America', several accounts on X (formerly Twitter), and the news networks of Voice of America, BBC Persian, Manoto, and Jam, which have been accused of 'using forged documents and propaganda against the Islamic Republic'. This case was ongoing in Mehr 1397 (October 2018) in Branch 16 of the Tehran Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office. Previously, documents against journalists and staff of Voice of America and other Persian-language media outlets outside Iran had been published by the Revolutionary Court as 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic'. Following the revelation of the absentia trial of Iranian journalists by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on charges of 'propaganda against the regime', the National Union of Journalists in Britain condemned this action and called for a response from the international community. Michelle Stanistreet, the General Secretary of this union, stated: 'The actions of Iranian judicial authorities indicate a comprehensive war against Iranian journalists both inside and outside the country. It is extremely shocking that a government can act in such a disgusting manner and expose journalists and their families to blatant abuse of press freedom and real danger.' In recent days, the hacking group Justice Ali announced that it had accessed the computer systems and servers of the Iranian judiciary and disclosed three million documents. This news has resonated on social media and sparked widespread reactions, with users responding to issues such as the costs of 'whip repairs', food orders, and the shipment of chemical weapons to Syria.