Iran: Two female journalists sentenced to prison over 'conspiracy and collusion'

Two women journalists in Iran have been sentenced to prison and will spend around a month in jail as part of a three-year partly suspended lockup sentence over "conspiracy" and "collusion", said the local media reports on Sunday (September 3).

Negin Bagheri and Elnaz Mohammadi's lawyer Amir Raisian told the reformist Ham Mihan daily newspaper, where Mohammadi works, that both the women will serve one-fortieth of the term, or less than a month, in jail.

"The remaining period is suspended over five years," during which time they will be required to take "professional ethics training" and "prohibited from leaving the country," the lawyer added.

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Raisian did not share details on whether the verdict could be appealed, also the accusations levelled against the reporters were not elaborated upon.

Mohammadi's sister in prison since 2022

As per news agency AFP reports, Mohammadi's sister, Elahe, who also works for Ham Mihan newspaper, has been in prison since September 2022 after reporting on the funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody.

Amini, an Iranian Kurd, died on September 16, 2022, after she was arrested for an alleged violation of the Islamic Republic's dress code. Her death triggered nationwide demonstrations.

Foreign-based rights groups have reported several arrests ahead of the anniversary of Amini's death.

Bagheri works for the unaffiliated Haft-e Sobh newspaper.

Elnaz Mohammadi was arrested and kept in Evin prison for a week in the month of February. The reason for her detention was not clear.

Last year, hundreds of people were killed, dozens of security officers were wounded and many were arrested in the protests, which the officials labelled as foreign-instigated "riots".

Seven men have been executed in protest-related cases involving killings and other violence against security forces.

As per local media reports, last month, the authorities in Iran either interrogated or arrested more than 90 journalists since the demonstrations.

An Iranian news agency on Wednesday (August 30) reported that journalist Nazila Maroufian, who defied Iran's strict dress code and was freed on bail earlier in August, has been rearrested for not wearing the headscarf in public.

(With inputs from agencies)

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