An Iranian appeals court has cleared two journalists, Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, of charges of collaborating with the US but upheld reduced prison sentences over their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman whose death in police custody ignited widespread protests in 2022. The journalists were originally sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison but had their sentences reduced to five years, judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir announced on Sunday. Hamedi and Mohammadi reported on Amini’s death while she was held by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict Islamic dress code.
Amini’s death became a catalyst for massive demonstrations across Iran, marking the country’s most significant unrest since the 1979 revolution. The protests, led by women and younger generations, demanded greater freedoms and an end to the repressive laws enforced by the clerical regime.
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The Iranian government accused external forces, including the US, of stoking the unrest. While Hamedi and Mohammadi were initially charged with collaborating with foreign powers, those charges were overturned on appeal. However, the court upheld their sentences for other charges linked to their journalism.
The protests, known as the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, saw fierce crackdowns by Iranian security forces, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests.