two journalists tried for covering the death of Mahsa Amini

They face the death penalty. The trial of Iranian journalist Niloufar Hamedi, arrested after covering the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, opened on Tuesday (May 30th), her newspaper announced. It began the day after that of Elaheh Mohammadi, a 36-year-old journalist who has also been in detention for several months.

The two women were jailed for covering up the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd arrested in Tehran by the morality police. The police accused her of having violated the strict dress code, in particular imposing on women the wearing of the veil in the Islamic Republic. His death had provoked a vast movement of protest against the regime.

Two journalists face the death penalty

“Today’s hearing was devoted to the reading of the indictment and the written and oral responses” of the accused to questions from the judge, Parto Borhanpour, Niloufar Hamedi’s lawyer, told the reformist daily on Tuesday. Shargh for which the journalist worked. “There was no time for the oral defense”, she said, adding that the lawyers were able to present their objections and demands to the court. Lawyers protested “Niloufar Hamedi’s lack of access to a lawyer during his detention”, and requested that the trial proceed “publicly”.

The two women are tried separately and behind closed doors in Tehran. They are facing the death penalty after being charged on November 8 with “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic, and conspiracy against national security.