Over 200 Iran journalists and writers have demanded the release of two imprisoned journalists Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, in prison for reporting the death of Mahsa Amini.
Hamedi, a former correspondent for Iran's prominent reformist newspaper, Shargh, and Elaheh Mohammadi, a fellow journalist at Ham-Mihan, have become symbols of the protests which followed the death of Amini who died in morality police custody last year.
Hamedi was arrested soon after covering the brutal death where reports showed the 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian had died of blows to the head, while Mohammadi was detained while reporting on the funeral procession at the Saqqez cemetery in Kordestan province. The two have been in temporary detention for over a year as the regime continues its bid to silence dissident voices.
On Tuesday, Shargh published the open letter, stating that despite nearly three months having passed since their last court hearing, Mohammadi and Hamedi are still imprisoned under the label of temporary detention without any verdict or the opportunity for release.
In the letter, journalists and literary figures emphasized that "the continued temporary detention of the two journalists after one year is unjustifiable." They wrote, "We, journalists, writers, and literary figures in Iran, insist that we do not allow arbitrary, extrajudicial, and unconstitutional actions to provide a suitable ground for the enemies of the people, and we demand the freedom of Elahe Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi."
Despite repeated requests from the public and international organizations for freedom of expression and the release of the two journalists, the Iranian judiciary continues to resist issuing bail and temporary release orders for them.
Iran ranks one of the world's least free countries for press freedom. Hundreds of journalists have been arrested and imprisoned since the Women, Life, Freedom movement began last year as the regime continues to suppress critical voices and impose deepening censorship.
“Some officials in certain countries, who have spoken with our officials, have protested in defense of the Zionist occupiers as to why Palestinians have killed civilians,” Khamenei stated.
“Firstly, this statement is contrary to the truth. Those who live in [Israeli] settlements are not civilians. They are all armed. Even if we assume they are non-combatants, how many non-combatants have been killed? The regime is now killing hundred times more women, children, the elderly, and the youth non-combatants who are in these buildings in Gaza, not the combatants who are not residing there. The combatants are in their own positions, and they also know this.” Khamenei said.
The Islamic Republic, led by the 83-year-old authoritarian ruler, has been financially and militarily supporting Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah and other militant organization designated as terrorist groups by several Western countries. Top Iranian officials and government media rejoiced the news of Hamas’ attack on October 7, after the enormity of civilian massacre has already emerged. The government ordered street celebration and vowed to continue support for Hamas.
Khamenei went on to blame the United States for directing Israeli policies in the past one week, as Israel has been launching devastating air and artillery attacks against northern Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed and injured, as Hamas tries to prevent the population to move to less dangerous areas.
“They have to be prosecuted. The American government should also recognize its responsibility in this matter,” Khamenei said, and added, “Based on information we have, Americans are charting Israeli policies in the past one week. Americans should take responsibility, they are responsible. The bombings must be immediately stopped. Muslim nations are angry. Very angry. You see the signs of it, demonstrations by groups of people, not only in Islamic countries but also in Los Angeles, in the Netherlands, in France, in European countries, in Western countries. People are gathering, both Muslims and non-Muslims.”
He also warned that Muslims and the “resistance groups” might retaliate if “this crime continues.” It would be hard to prevent retaliation Khamenei said, quipping that in any case, “no matter what the Zionist regime does, it won't be able to compensate for the embarrassing defeat it suffered in this matter.”
Many Islamic republic officials and government entities have been sanctioned by the West over the years for their gross human rights violation against the Iranian population. Since September 2022, when widespread anti-regime protests broke out, security forces have killed well over 500 civilians and severely wounded hundreds. Many young protesters were targeted by shotgun pellets in the face and lost one or both eyes. The regime also arrested 22,000 people, including journalists and hundreds of minors.
At the same time, a deputy commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted by state media on Tuesday as saying that Israel will face another shockwave by the resistance front if its "atrocities" do not stop in Gaza.
"The resistance front's shocks against the Zionist regimes (Israel) will continue until this 'cancerous tumor' is eradicated from the world map," said Ali Fadavi.
"Another shockwave is on the way, if Israel does not end atrocities in Gaza."
Since the Hamas attack, the Iranian regime has mostly put aside its pretenses, showing clearly that Hamas and Hezbollah are virtually under their command.
Based on the information obtained by Iran International, Armita’s parents were recently taken to the office of Delavar Alghasi-Mehr, the police commander of eastern part of Tehran province. There, they were forced to sign documents committing not file complaints against "any individual, organization, or entity."
Aghasi-Mehr, the police chief, was sanctioned in September by the US in connection to the regime’s repression in advance of the death anniversary of Mahsa “Zhina” Amini. Mahsa’s death at the hands of hijab enforcement patrols in mid-September 2022 sparked the Women, Life, Freedom protests.
Circumstances surrounding her case bear uncanny similarities to that of Armita. In both cases the regime has denied any wrongdoing but forced the families not to speak to the media and even broadcast video of the parents confessing on camera that what happened to their daughters had nothing to do with hijab enforcers.
Following the encounter with hijab enforcers, Armita fell into a coma and is kept in a heavily guarded hospital. She reportedly hit her head when she fell to the ground and lost consciousness after being assaulted by hijab enforcers on her way to school in a subway car two weeks ago. Last week, Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported that her medical team has told the family there is no hope for her recovery.
The regime has consistently resorted to a playbook of distorting the truth and intimidating victims’ families whenever its agents are implicated in any significant crime. Similar to the way they handled the situation while Mahsa Amini was hospitalized comatose, authorities have significantly restricted the family's access to Armita. Both the journalist who wanted to cover Armita’s story and Armita’s mother were briefly detained. Two journalists that reported on the case of Mahsa Amini are still in prison in Tehran since her death more than a year ago. The regime also killed more than 500 people and arrested over 22,000 who protested her death during months of rallies and strikes.
The news of Armita being reported as braindead has stirred outrage among many Iranians, who witness more people falling victim to the regime's strict enforcement of hijab that has become increasingly severe by punitive regulations via new hijab laws and modern technology.
People on social media question why authorities can use surveillance cameras to identify women who defy hijab but seem unable to find the truth in such situations. Footage of Armita's presence at the subway station and an audio file of the call made by an employee of the Tehran Metro to the emergency services, which state media have released, have not been able to convince the public that hijab enforcers were not involved in the incident.
In a harshly worded letter addressed to Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei, daughter of former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani enumerated the names of some of the iconic victims of the regime, asking, “How many Nedas, Navids, Mahsas and Armitas must be sacrificed and how long this destruction must continue until you realize the severity of the situation?"
Female Islamic scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi also released a video without hijab for the first time last week, saying, "We must not stay silent and witness every day that an Armita, a Mahsa or another beloved child of ours becomes a victim merely for not wearing a headscarf."
The anti-regime movement that began more than a year ago has made it increasingly difficult for the clerical regime to enforce the mandatory Islamic dress code. Since the beginning of the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement, tens of thousands of girls and women have shed their compulsory hijab. The regime seeks to criminalize hijab defiance, but no branch of the government wants to be solely responsible for complications and the risk of social backlash.
