Reporter covering 'Hijab suspicious death' charged with 'anti-state agitation'... Maximum death penalty if convicted

Iran Government Labels Journalist Reporting Suspicious Death as CIA Spy
Over 40 Journalists Detained Nationwide Following Anti-Government Protests

Iranian daily newspaper reporting on the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] The Iranian government announced that it has indicted two journalists who reported on the 'hijab suspicious death' case on charges of anti-state propaganda. Conviction for anti-state propaganda can carry the death penalty.

On the 8th (local time), the Iranian judiciary stated that journalists Niloufar Hamedi (30) and Elahe Mohammadi (35) are accused of "inciting social unrest and spreading anti-state propaganda." They had previously reported on the case of Mahsa Amini (22), who was arrested by authorities for not properly wearing a hijab and died under suspicious circumstances.

Hamedi, a reporter for the daily newspaper Shargh, was the first to report on Amini being in a brain-dead state in the hospital. Mohammadi, affiliated with the daily Hamihan, reported on the funeral held in Amini’s hometown of Saqqez and was suspected of having received training from foreign intelligence agencies. Both were reportedly arrested last month and are currently detained in Evin Prison.

Previously, the Iranian government labeled them as American spies. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement last month accusing them of acting as agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and serving as primary sources for foreign media reports. The statement included claims that "Hamedi disguised herself as a journalist to approach Amini’s family and forced them to disclose information about Amini’s death."

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), more than 40 journalists have been detained across Iran since the start of the anti-government protests. The Iranian Journalists Association issued a statement last month, arguing that "the evidence cited by authorities as proof of crimes against Hamedi and Mohammadi is simply the duty of professional journalists," and insisted that "Hamedi and Mohammadi were merely doing their work as journalists."