News Center- Nine female journalists, including Elaheh Mohammadi, Niloofar Hamedi and Nasim Sultan Beigi, were restricted from contact outside for one month, after they chanted slogans about “unfair sentences” when high-ranking judicial authorities visited Evin prison in Tehran on December 27. In a statement, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemned the punitive actions taken against the journalists and called on the Iranian authorities to release all imprisoned journalists and media workers.

“Following the protest in Evin prison, they were deprived of making phone calls and having visits for a month. The women detainees, journalists Elaheh Mohammadi, Niloofar Hamedi and Nasim Soltan Beigi among them, were threatened by prison authorities, who may also bring forward additional charges and relocate them to remote prisons,” the statement said.

 “The escalating suppression of the media, along with the ongoing arrest of journalists and heightened pressure on media professionals, is a growing concern. The crackdown on the media in the country is raising alarms about a severe infringement on the free flow of information. This must stop now. All journalists unfairly being held behind bars should be released immediately,” said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.

On 22 October, 2023, Niloofar Hamedi, a reporter for Shargh Daily, and Elaheh Mohammadi, reporter for Hammihan newspaper, were sentenced to seven years and six years in jail respectively by the Revolutionary Court. The court also added a further five years in prison to each of their sentences for “acting against the national security” and a year for propaganda.

Both journalists were among the first to cover the death and the funeral of the 22-year old Jina Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022 that sparked nationwide protests across numerous cities in Iran.