30 Iran Journalists Still Detained Over Protests, Group Says

A kiosk in Tehran on Oct. 30, 2022, displays copies of the Hammihan newspaper, featuring on its cover a headline mentioning the Tehran journalists association's criticism of the detention of two journalists who helped publicize the case of Masha Amini. | Photo Credits: VOA

At least 30 Iranian journalists are still imprisoned in connection with protests linked to the death of Mahsa Amini, the Tehran journalists association said Wednesday.

Iran has been gripped by nearly four months of demonstrations triggered by the September 16 death in custody of Amini, 22, an Iranian Kurd, following her arrest by morality police for allegedly violating Iran's dress code for women.

"Around 70 journalists" have been detained since mid-September, the association said in a statement.

Some have been released on bail while "30 journalists taken in for questioning are still detained," it added on its Telegram messaging app channel where it published a list of those jailed.

The lists includes Iranian journalists Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who helped expose the case of Amini.

"Since the start of the protests, a large number of journalists have also been summoned" by the authorities, the organization added, without elaborating.

The latest to be sentenced was sports journalist Ehsan Pirbornash, reformist newspaper Hammihan reported on Wednesday. It did not identify the charges against him but said he must serve 10 years in prison out of an 18-year sentence.

In late October, more than 300 Iranian journalists and photojournalists signed a statement criticizing authorities for "arresting colleagues and stripping them of their civil rights after their detentions.

Iranian authorities say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested during the protests, which they mostly describe as "riots."

Source: VOA