By Nurat Uthman
According to local media, two female journalists from Iran will be spending approximately a month in prison as part of a three-year partly suspended prison sentence for “conspiracy and collusion.
Negin Bagheri and Elnaz Mohammadi, who works for the reformist Ham Mihan daily newspaper, will serve only a fraction of the sentence in prison, with the remainder being suspended over five years.
During this time, they will be required to undergo professional ethics training and will be prohibited from leaving the country.
The report does not provide details about the allegations against the journalists, and it is unclear if the verdict can be appealed.
In September 2022, Mohammadi’s sister, Elahe, who also works for Ham Mihan, was imprisoned after reporting on the funeral of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody.
The death of Amini, an Iranian Kurd, sparked nationwide protests. Since then, foreign-based rights groups have reported numerous arrests in relation to the anniversary of Amini’s death.
Bagheri works for the unaffiliated Haft-e Sobh newspaper.
In February, Elnaz Mohammadi was briefly detained in Evin prison for unknown reasons.
Last year’s protests resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, including security personnel, and the arrest of thousands of individuals accused of involvement in what authorities referred to as foreign-instigated “riots.”
Seven men have been executed for crimes related to violence against security forces during the protests.
Local media reported last month that over 90 journalists have been questioned or arrested by Iranian authorities since the protests.
Furthermore, journalist Nazila Maroufian, who was previously released on bail after defying Iran’s strict dress code, was rearrested for not wearing a headscarf in public, as reported by an Iranian news agency on Wednesday.
