Iran: Journalists Niloofar Hamedi And Elahe Mohammadi Accused Of Having Ties With The CIA
Location: Iran, Tehran
Date: October 31, 2022
Journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are reportedly currently incarcerated in the infamous Evin prison. They have been accused by the Islamic Republic for having ties with the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Iranian government has classified the women journalists as foreign agents and incriminated them of being “primary sources of news for foreign media”. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is indignant at such suggestions and unjust accusations of the two women journalists. We demand their immediate release.
Fearless journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi were pivotal in covering the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in Iran. Immediately after news broke of Amini’s death, the journalists were arrested and are currently being held captive in Evin prison due to being labeled as foreign agents in a joint statement released by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and the intelligence organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on October 30, 2022.
The statement accuses Hamedi of impersonating a journalist and compelling Mahsa Amini’s family to leak information about their daughter’s death. Hamedi was the first journalist to report from the hospital where Amini was treated after collapsing while in the custody of Iranian authorities. In addition, it describes the protests as a pre-planned operation launched by the CIA, Mossad and other western intelligence agencies.
Elahe Mohammadi has been accused by the IRGC and the Intelligence Ministry of being trained as a foreign agent abroad for her coverage of Amini’s funeral in her home town of Saqqez. She was arrested on September 22, 2022. More than 40 journalists have been detained since the protests broke out in the entire country. The statement has been received with complete consternation by the majority of Iranian journalists. The crime of espionage carries the death penalty in Iran.
Hundreds of Iranian journalists and members of the Iranian press have demanded the release of Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi. “Media freedom is not only the right of journalists but also of society,” read a statement signed by more than 300 Iranian journalists, photographers and media activists. “Our society has the right to know what is happening in a timely manner, without censorship or filter, and also has the right to question any person or institution that causes inefficiency, corruption or violates the law,” the statement continued.
“The great society of Iran will not be able to deal with the complex threats of today’s world without responsible citizens such as Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi and other imprisoned journalists.”
In most cases, due to the restrictive laws that exist for legal representation in political cases and the laws which have prevented the independence of lawyers from the government, attorneys do not have much access to the prisoners’ files, however, they provide counseling services to political activists and journalists before arrest, as well as give guidance to the prisoners’ families until the cases reach the trial stage in court.
The news reporting environment has been isolated by authorities in such a way that the chronic censorship of media in Iran has increased drastically. The media is dictated clear instructions on what to report and journalists face the pressure of constant surveillance, threats and intimidation. In addition, the restrictions imposed on the internet by the government have placed independent reporting of current events by press members and citizen journalists under serious threat. This makes free circulation of information extremely difficult and almost impossible. As a result, information about current events has been transmitted to the world in a limited and delayed manner. Publishers of such information and activists with internet access are arrested, summoned and threatened on a daily basis.
According to estimates by Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) an astounding number of more than 220 people have died at the hands of the security forces since demonstrations erupted. Well in its sixth week, the uprising shows no signs of mitigation.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly denounces the accusations against Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi. We join in solidarity with all Iranian journalists, members of the Iranian free press and media activists in demanding the immediate liberation of the two journalists.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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