Iran lodges hijab case against journalists day after release

TEHRAN: Iran's judiciary said on Monday it had launched new proceedings against two journalists for posing without the mandatory headscarf upon their release after more than a year in prison.

Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were released on Sunday from Tehran´s Evin prison, where they had been held for their coverage of the September 2022 death in custody of a young woman which sparked nationwide protests.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, had been arrested for an alleged breach of strict dress rules for women. Images of the two journalists smiling and holding hands outside the prison circulated on social media following their release.

The judiciary´s Mizan Online website noted the photos showed “the women without hijab”, which has been made obligatory for women in public spaces since shortly after Iran´s 1979 Islamic revolution. Mizan said “a new case was filed against the defendants” as a result. The terms of the journalists´ release on bail bar them from travelling abroad, Mizan said on Sunday.

In October, the judiciary said they had been found guilty of collaboration with Iran´s arch enemy the United States, conspiring against state security and “propaganda” against the Islamic republic. Mohammadi, 36, was subsequently given six years in prison and Hamedi, 31, was handed a seven-year term for the collaboration offence, said Mizan at the time.