Journalists jailed by Iran for reporting on Mahsa Amini’s death freed on bail
Two Iranian journalists who were serving long prison sentences over their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini have been released on bail pending their appeal, said Iranian media.
Niloufar Hamedia, who broke the news of Ms Amini's death while in police custody for wearing her headscarf too loosely, and Elaheh Mohammadi, who wrote about her funeral, were jailed for seven years and six years respectively in October on charges including collaborating with the US government. The two women had been in prison for 17 months. The semiofficial ISNA news agency reported that they were each released on $200,000 (£156,800) bail and are banned from leaving the country until the appeal is heard.
The Tehran Revolutionary
Court had charged the journalists with collaborating with the US government, colluding against national security, and propaganda against the system, according to the Mizanonline.ir news website, affiliated with the country's judiciary. Ms Hamedi worked for the reformist newspaper Shargh, while Ms Mohammadi worked for Ham-mihan, also a reformist paper. They were detained in
September 2022. In May 2023, the United Nations awarded the journalists its premier prize for press freedom for their commitment to truth and accountability.
Ms Amini's death sparked months of protests in dozens of cities across Iran. The demonstrations posed one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since 2009’s Green Movement protests drew millions to the streets.
While nearly 100 journalists were arrested during the demonstrations,mshamedia'sand
Ms Mohammadi's reporting was crucial in the days after Ms Amini's death in spreading the word. Their detentions sparked global criticism.
Since the protests began, at least 529 people have been killed by security forces during demonstrations, according to human rights activists in Iran.
Over 19,700 more have been detained by authorities amid a violent crackdown trying to suppress the dissent. Iran has not offered overall casualty figures, while admitting thousands have been detained.