Iranian journalists acquitted of US collaboration charges

In a surprising turn of events, an Iranian court has acquitted two journalists accused of collaborating with the United States following their reports on the death of a woman that sparked mass protests in 2022. Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who were originally sentenced to 13 and 12 prison terms. According to court spokesman Asghar Jahangir, the sentences have been reduced to five years respectively.

At a press conference held on Sunday, Jahangir announced the appeals court’s decision to acquit the journalists of charges related to US cooperation. Hamedi and Mohammadi were previously arrested for their reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody after being accused of violating the country’s Islamic dress code.

Amini’s death was the catalyst for nationwide protests in late 2022 that grew into Iran’s biggest civil unrest since the 1979 revolution, challenging the country’s spiritual rulers. The acquittal of the journalists marks an important development in the ongoing saga of dissent and press freedom in Iran.

(With input from agencies.)