Three Journalists and a Poet Summoned to Abadan Revolutionary Court

The Abadan Revolutionary Court summoned Mandana Sadeghi, Arash Ghaleh Golab, and Kourosh Kermpour, three journalists, along with Reza Mohammadi, a poet and Sadeghi's husband. Mandana Sadeghi wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on the evening of Wednesday, August 8, which is known in Iran as 'Journalist Day,' that she and her husband, along with Ghaleh Golab and Kermpour, must appear in court on August 15. The reasons for these summonses are not known, but these individuals have previously faced arrests and confrontations from judicial and security authorities in Abadan due to their media activities. Mandana Sadeghi and Reza Mohammadi were arrested by security forces at their home in Abadan on October 19, 2022, and were temporarily released after about 50 days. Arash Ghaleh Golab was also arrested in June of that year following the collapse of the Metropol building in Abadan due to his media activities. Kourosh Kermpour, the then-editor of the weekly 'Yadgari,' was arrested in January 2019 in front of the Abadan courthouse by security agents and transferred to one of the IRGC's detention centers in Ahvaz. The chairman of the board of the Tehran Journalists' Association emphasized on August 8 last year, coinciding with 'Journalist Day,' that 'the dark era of journalism' continues, referring to the arrest of over a hundred journalists following the onset of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. The Ham-Mihan newspaper published a list of dozens of arrested journalists on this day, noting that at least 76 journalists, reporters, and photographers have been detained since the protests began in Iran. The spark for the nationwide 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests was ignited on September 17, 2022, following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of the morality police, and the Islamic Republic's security agencies have arrested many journalists who reported on this issue and faced heavy judicial sentences.