Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced Maryam Vahidian, a journalist, to four years in prison.
Maryam Vahidian had been previously pursued and imprisoned for “assembly and collusion with intent to disrupt national security.” The verdict has been suspended for five years.
The trial for these charges was held on April 18, 2023, at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court.
Maryam Vahidian, a journalist reporting on workers’ issues for the ILNA news agency, was arrested in Tehran on November 27 and released from Evin prison on December 28, 2022.
Reporters Without Borders noted that an unprecedented number of female journalists have been arrested and imprisoned in Iran.
Reporters Without Borders has placed Iran in 178th place among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom index in 2022, after China, Myanmar, and Turkmenistan. Only Eritrea and North Korea are behind Iran.
The Committee to Protect Journalists announced Iran as the top jailer of journalists in 2022. China, Myanmar, Turkey, and Belarus lag behind Iran in the CPJ index.
According to the CPJ, Iranian authorities have imprisoned a record number of female journalists, a reflection of their prominent role in covering this women-led uprising.
