Iranian female journalist goes on trial on charges linked to Mahsa Amini protests
- Elaheh Mohammadi, a reporter for the pro-reform Hammihan newspaper, is accused of ‘colluding with hostile powers’, which potentially carries the death penalty
- She covered the funeral of 22-year-old Amini, who died while in the custody of the morality police, unleashing a wave of mass protests across Iran for months
An Iranian journalist went on trial behind closed doors on Monday on charges linked to her coverage of the funeral of a Kurdish-Iranian woman whose death in custody last year triggered months of unrest, her lawyer told ILNA news agency.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code unleashed a wave of mass protests across Iran for months, marking the biggest challenge to Iran’s clerical leaders in decades.
Elaheh Mohammadi covered Amini’s funeral in her Kurdish hometown Saqez, where the protests began. The Islamic Republic accused its foreign foes of igniting the protests to destabilise the country.
“The trial of Elaheh Mohammadi went well. The date of the next session will be announced by the court,” her lawyer, Shahabeddin Mirlohi, told ILNA. He was not immediately available for comment.
Mohammadi, a reporter for the pro-reform Hammihan newspaper who is on trial in Tehran, and another journalist, Niloofar Hamedi, of the Sharq newspaper, have been accused of “colluding with hostile powers” for their coverage of Amini’s death.