Temporary Release on Bail; 'Spreading Falsehoods' Charge Against Maryam Shekarani Following Reposting of Armita Garavand News

Maryam Shekarani, a journalist, states that she is currently temporarily released on bail while her case regarding her comments about Armita Garavand is being processed. On Tuesday, December 26, Shekarani, who is the economic editor of Shargh newspaper, wrote on social media platform X that she faces two charges of 'propaganda against the regime' and 'spreading falsehoods' in connection with her case at Branch 16 of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office. Shekarani added that by 'providing documents proving the reposting of news from domestic media,' the investigator removed the charge of 'propaganda against the regime' from her case. According to this journalist, the investigator has sent an indictment with the charge of 'spreading falsehoods' to Branch 1058 of the Tehran Criminal Court for government employees, and Maryam Shekarani has been temporarily released on bail. Meanwhile, on December 18, Shekarani, along with her lawyer, Reza Shafakhah, appeared in this court branch, but the judge deemed the Criminal Court for government employees 'not competent' to handle this case. According to the report, this journalist's case has now been transferred to Branch 9 of the Criminal Court One, known as the Press Court, but 'the date for the new court session is still not determined.' Pressure on journalists in Iran and the detention of some of them intensified following the nationwide protests that began at the end of September 2022, with the arrest of dozens of journalists and photojournalists in the second half of last year, leading to a further decline in press freedom over the past 45 years. Additionally, a journalist residing in Iran previously told Voice of America that the Islamic Republic's expectation from the media is 'to produce propaganda bulletins,' and journalists are under pressure due to 'critical analyses' with vague titles such as 'black propaganda.'