Trial of Two Journalists for Comments on Nika Shakeri's Death

Marzieh Mahmoudi and Mohammad Parsi, two journalists, were tried in separate courts at the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office due to their comments regarding the murder of Nika Shakeri. Mr. Parsi wrote on Saturday, July 6, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter): "This morning, I attended court for publishing a report and a note about the injustice faced by Nika Shakeri, accused of spreading falsehoods based on a complaint filed by the Tehran prosecutor." This journalist had previously reported in May that he had been informed of the charges at the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office and mentioned that bail had been issued for him. Ms. Mahmoudi also announced on July 4 on X that she had been tried for the third time "due to publishing a brief news item about Nika Shakeri." This journalist continued: "Any ruling in the new court means the reopening of the previous suspended case and the initiation of my exile process to Torbat Jam." Reza Shafaghi, a lawyer, had written on X in May that Marzieh Mahmoudi was summoned to Branch 16 of the Media Prosecutor's Office following her comments on a BBC report about Nika Shakeri. Ms. Mahmoudi had previously been sentenced to pay "24 million in fines" and "one year of exile to Torbat Jam" due to a complaint from Hamid Rasai, a former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The BBC World Service reported on May 10 that it had obtained a "very confidential document" from the Islamic Republic of Iran, indicating that Nika Shakeri was subjected to "sexual abuse" and killed after being arrested by security forces. Nika Shakeri was one of the hundreds of protesters killed during the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in Iran and later became a symbol of this uprising and a global figure. Government agencies forced Shakeri's family to bury the teenager's body in a remote village in Khorramabad, Lorestan.