Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pardoned two female journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who covered the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in 2022 after being detained by the morality police for wearing an "inappropriate" hijab.
This is reported by AP.
Journalist Niloufar Hamedi, who reported on the death of Mahsa Amini, and Elahe Mohammadi, who wrote about Aminiʼs funeral, were among those pardoned by the Ayatollah. Ali Khamenei had previously issued pardons on the February anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In 2023, the journalists were sentenced to seven and six years in prison on several charges, including collaborating with the US government and propaganda against the system. They were temporarily released in January 2024 and awaited their next court decision.
Mahsa Amini died in custody after being detained by Iranʼs morality police for allegedly violating strict hijab regulations. The official version of her death is illness, while a UN human rights expert said the woman died "due to beatings" by police.
After the funeral of Mahsa Amina, mass protests erupted in Iran. They quickly escalated into anti-government uprisings. Security forces responded with brutal detentions and excessive force.
Niloufar Hamedi photographed Amini’s father and grandmother comforting each other in their arms after learning that their Mahsi had died, and posted the photo with the caption: “The black mourning dress has become our national flag”. Elahe Mohammadi wrote about Amini’s funeral in her hometown of Sakkes. She described how hundreds of people in attendance chanted: “Woman, life, freedom”.
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