Iranian Journalist Says Newspaper Fired Her After She Alleged Special Forces Officer Misconduct
An Iranian journalist who was jailed last year for conducting an interview with Mahsa Amini's father said Thursday that she has been "terminated" from her position at the newspaper where she had just started working.
Nazila Maroufian said the move came days after she shared on her public Twitter account allegations that a Special Forces officer made derogatory comments about her when she refused to comply with the mandatory hijab requirement.
In a tweet on Sunday, Maroufian recounted the incident where an officer in the city theater told her, "What's with that outfit? Of course, because you're [expletive], that's why you dress like this."
She didn’t reveal the name of the newspaper that “terminated” her.
Maroufian was arrested in November 2022 following the publication of her interview with the father of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in police custody. The death of Amini, who was accused of wearing her headscarf too loosely, sparked nationwide anti-government protests.
Maroufian spent 70 days behind bars before being released on bail.
In a recent tweet, Maroufian said she is facing increased security pressures simply because she is a "dissenting critic."
The two journalists who helped break the story of Amini’s death, Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi, are currently on trial in Iran.
Iranian officials say the two journalists were indicted on charges of collaborating with the United States, acting against national security and creating "propaganda against the system."
A U.S. State Department spokesman rejected allegations the journalists had been collaborating with the United States.
“Sham trials and executions have been key components of the (Iranian) regime’s attempt to suppress any form of dissent,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in response to a question from VOA.
According to the World Press Freedom Index 2023 issued by Reporters Without Borders on May 3 to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, Iran is considered one of the world's worst countries for press freedom. It has been listed at No. 177 out of 180 nations ranked in worldwide assessments of press freedom, followed by Vietnam, China, and North Korea.