Two journalists who participated in the news of the death of young Mahsa Amini, which sparked anger and protests across Iran, were accused by the government of being foreign agents working for the US intelligence agency, the CIA.
Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi have been in prison since the repercussions of Amini’s death. The 22-year-old died in custody of the morality police after being arrested for wearing the traditional veil (hijab) in a way deemed wrong.
At least 41 journalists were arrested during the demonstrations that broke out in Iran in the last month. In response, the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) filed a complaint with the United Nations (UN) about the oppression of press professionals in the country.
Journalists could be sentenced to death in Mahsa Amini case
Journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi have been held in Evin Prison, which is famous for being the place where political prisoners are held in the country since September 22.
Hamdi became the first journalist to report on the hospital where Amini was taken after she collapsed while in detention by the Iranian authorities.
Muhammad claimed the young woman’s funeral days later. In a statement sent to Iranian news agencies on Friday, the two women were accused by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence of being CIA spies working in the country.
Authorities also described the protests as a premeditated operation by the CIA, Mossad and other Western intelligence agencies.
Describing both women as “foreign media’s primary news sources”, the statement accuses Hamedi of impersonating a journalist and forcing Mahsa Amini’s family to disclose information about their daughter’s death.
Mohammadi was accused of “training abroad as a foreign agent” for the stories he published about Amini’s funeral.
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The statement by the Iranian authorities was met with concern by the journalists in the country, as the death penalty is foreseen for the crime of spying on behalf of foreign governments in Iran.
An Iranian journalist told The Guardian that tagging the two journalists as spies is part of a joint attack on the country’s press – which will inevitably lead to more arrests as the government tries to stop reporting on what’s going on in relation to the operations. protests
“They will use this accusation to make more arrests or worse, execute their own citizens for spying,” he told the British publication.
NGO condemns arrest of journalists to UN
Increasing pressure on journalists in Iran is being watched closely by organizations that defend journalism.
While public protests are suppressed by the authorities in the country, violations of freedom of the press continue to occur on other fronts.
The United States on Friday (31) condemned Iranian leaders for obstructing the burial of the body of a journalist working in exile for the US government-funded Persian-language broadcaster Radio Farda-Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The body of 45-year-old Reza Haghighatnejad was seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards at the airport upon his arrival from Germany. According to the journalist’s family, they were prevented from continuing to transport the body to Shiraz, where it will be buried.
For these and other violations, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the UN to make every effort to release journalists arrested during protests in Iran.
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The complaint, submitted by the NGO, details the many forms of pressure against members of the press covering demonstrations, including arbitrary detention, violations of the right to defense, physical violence, threats and harassment, unauthorized police raids and confiscation of work equipment. .
“Those who watch this relentless persecution of journalists by the authorities are particularly concerned about women journalists, who are among the main victims of the brutal backlash of the patriarchal Iranian regime,” says RSF.
The RSF complaint also draws the UN’s attention to the censorship established by the Iranian government and its consequences on the right to information:
“Iranian authorities have targeted all media and cut internet access to almost zero, leaving little opportunity to provide their people and the outside world with free access to reliable information,” he said.
The NGO forwarded the complaint to nine protection mechanisms established by the UN Human Rights Council.
The document was sent to special rapporteurs on freedom of expression, the situation of human rights in Iran, the situation of human rights defenders, violence against women, freedom of association, torture, independence of judges and human rights. on rights in the fight against terrorism and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
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source: Noticias
