This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 26 August 2019.
“With this heavy sentence, Iranian authorities are escalating their threats against journalists who report on economic issues amid the country’s ongoing crisis,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. “Marzieh Amiri’s reporting on the economic hardships of Iranian citizens is not a criminal act nor does it warrant this vindictive and violent response. She should be released immediately.”
CPJ could not determine the date of the sentence, the details of which were made public on August 24 in news reports and in tweets by Samira Amiri, the journalist’s sister. Judge Mohammad Moghiseh charged Amiri with “assembly and collusion against national security,” “propaganda against the state” and “disturbing public order,” according to those reports.
Amiri must serve a minimum of six years in prison if the verdict is upheld in the country’s appeals court system, according to her sister’s tweets. Amiri was arrested on May 1, while she was covering a Labor Day demonstration in front of the Iranian parliament building in Tehran, as CPJ reported at the time.
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Source: MEDIA FEED
