Journalist Sara Massoumi was sentenced to six months imprisonment by the 26th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. She was also barred from journalistic activities for two years. Ms. Massoumi must also pay a fine of 15 million Toumans in cash.
The semi-official Sharq newspaper cited Ali Mojtahedzadeh, Sara Massoumi’s lawyer, as saying, “The hearing convened at the 26th Branch of the Revolutionary Court examined the charge of ‘publishing context contrary to the truth.’ “
The charge refers to a tweet about Armita Geravand, the teenage girl who died after being attacked in a metro train by a Hijab Patrol.
“The tweet, however, did not contain any news and therefore could not be contrary to the truth. The Judge’s verdict also refers to the report of law enforcement agents, but we did not see any reports,” Mr. Mojtahedzadeh said.
Sara Massoumi’s lawyer noted that “if a journalist is to endure such imprisonment for just one tweet, then we cannot essentially talk about freedom of speech in this country.” (The state-run Sharq daily, December 20, 2023)
