The United States marked World Press Freedom Day by honoring Iranian journalists who are facing severe pressure from their government. Iran has been named the second worst country in the world for imprisoning writers, with at least 23 journalists currently behind bars. The US Department of State lauded the bravery of journalists such as Niloufar Hamedi, Elahe Mohammadi, and Nazila Maroufian on its Farsi account on X social network. Despite facing adversity, these journalists play a vital role in raising awareness among Iranians and are greatly admired.
Both Hamedi and Mohammadi were previously detained for their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police in 2022, leading to widespread protests. Although they were sentenced to long prison terms after temporary detention, the Tehran Appeals Court later converted their bail, resulting in their release. Nazila Maroufian has faced multiple arrests since the 2022 uprising and was subjected to sexual assault by regime forces as part of Iran’s Me Too movement highlighting systematic sexual abuse and assault against women.
Despite their release, the journalists still face challenges, with a new case opened against them for publishing pictures without the mandatory hijab. Iran’s crackdown on the Islamic dress code has been escalating, drawing criticism from the UN, which has termed it ‘gender apartheid’ against Iranian women and girls. Reporters Without Borders criticized Iran for its harsh treatment of the press, noting that at least 23 journalists are currently imprisoned in the country, ranking Iran 176th out of 180 countries
