Charges Against Two Women Reporters Means Media Forbidden To Do Their Job In Iran, Claims Journo Union

These are the two women journalists arrested a week apart and accused by Iranian officials of creating a fake news campaign around the death of Mahsa Amini.

Nilufar Hamidi, a journalist for Sharq newspaper and website, was one of the first on the scene after news of Mahsa Amini’s transfer to Kasri Hospital.

She was arrested after she published a picture of Mahsa Amini’s family behind the door of Mahsa’s room in Kasri Hospital in Tehran.

She had also previously been in hot water after publishing a video of a police officer shooting a couple in Pardisan Park in Tehran on 28th May.

Standing alongside her is Elahe Mohammadi – a reporter for the pro-reform Hammihan newspaper – who was also arrested some days later.

Mohammadi covered Mahsa’s funeral after the 22-year-old spent three days in a coma following her arrest by Iran’s morality police.

Elahe Mohammadi (right) poses with Niloofar Hamedi (left) in an undated photo. The two Iranian journalists were arrested in Tehran, Iran. (Newsflash)

Mohammadi’s arrest was confirmed by her lawyer, Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi.

The Iranian Journalists’ Association has called for all journalists who have been arrested for covering the protests to be released.

While no figures have been released, it is feared dozens of reporters may have been detained so far.

In a joint statement, the IRGC together with the Iranian Ministry of information said that the pair were involved in “prejudiced news reporting around the death of Mahsa Amini”.

The Tehran Journalists Guild criticised the announcement saying: “The joint statement of the country’s two main intelligence institutions regarding the reporting of recent events had the very simple message that journalism should be declared a crime and prohibited because it criminalises the normal activity of two of our colleagues in performing their professional duties. The charges mean the end of journalism.”

They said that the news activities referenced by the intelligence agencies are among the most basic and obvious tasks of journalism.

The statement continued: “This accusation that our colleagues have gone outside Iran to learn the basic principles of journalism and participated in journalism classes, regardless of the validity of the existence of such programs, is an insult to the intelligence of the audience and the society. What they were doing was journalism: They are two journalists who are among the most professional journalists in the country.”

They said that the coverage by the two women was their right and their professional duty and that they had not acted alone, but together with colleagues including their editors.

Elahe Mohammadi poses in an undated photo. Mohammadi, who writes for Irans Ham Mihan newspaper, has been arrested for covering the funeral of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had spent three days in a coma following her arrest by Tehrans notorious morality police and died on Sept. 16, 2022. (Newsflash)

Mahsa was declared brain dead and died in hospital three days after apparently being beaten by Iran’s morality police.

She had been detained for what was described as a ‘re-education class’ after she was arrested next to a metro station in Tehran for failing to adhere to Iran’s strict hijab rules on 13th September.

Hours later she was in the hospital with a skull fracture “caused by a direct blow” and internal bleeding, according to hacked CT scans obtained by a London-based news organisation known as Iran International.

Doctors went on to say that Mahsa had blood and fluid in her lungs because she went into a coma soon after receiving a blow to the head, according to the news organisation.

All women, including tourists, have had to wear a headscarf in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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