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By AIPS Media
Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, the Iranian col- leagues who have been in pris- on for more than a year for
their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, have each been released on $200,000 bail pending their appeal. It was also reported on Sunday, January 14 that until their appeal is heard they are banned from leaving the coun- try. They have been in prison for 15 months because they simply carried out their work
WHAT HAPPENED In September 2022, Niloofar Hamedi, an Iranian photographer, who works for the re- formist daily newspaper Shargh Daily, broke the news of the custodial death of Mahsa Amini, after managing to enter Kasra Hospital on 16 Septem- ber, in Tehran, where the 22-year-old Amini was being treated following
her detention by the morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab inap- propriately. The police version was that the young girl had a sudden heart problem, but Amini’s parents disput- ed that report. Only a few hours later Mahsa would die. Niloofar Hamedi had tweeted a photo of Amini's par- ents crying in the hospital. And the spread of this image triggered protests across the nation. On 22 September, Niloofar Hamedi was arrested. As her lawyer Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi explained, security officers broke into her home, arrested her, ransacked her home and confiscated her belongings. Not only that, her Twitter account was suspended without explanation.
Elaheh Mohammadi, who reports on society and women's issues for the daily HamMihan newspaper, was ar- rested on September 29 after her re- port on Amini’s funeral. She had trav- elled to Amini’s hometown, Saqqez, for HamMihan newspaper to cover
L-R: Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloofar Ha- medi were released on Sunday, January 14, 2024
the funeral of the 22-year old and had reported about the police attack there.
THE SENTENCES In October 2023, Niloofar Hamedi was sentenced to 7 years in prison on the charge of col- laborating with the hostile Govern- ment of the United States: 5 years in prison for collusion to commit crimes against the country's security and 2 years in prison on the charge of prop- agating against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Elaheh Mohammadi: sentenced to 6 years in prison on the charge of co- operating with the hostile Govern- ment of the United States: 5 years in prison for collusion to commit crimes against the country's security and 1 year in prison on the charge of prop- agating activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
FEATURES
Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh
Mohammadi released on $200,000
bail after 15 months in jail
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