Iran condemns two female journalists to prison for "collusion" and "conspiracy."

 Elahe Mohammadi, the sister of Elnaz Mohammadi and an employee of Ham Mihan, has been detained since September 2022.

A woman looks at a picture of Iranian reporters Niloufar Hamedi (left) and Elahe Mohammadi posted on Twitter, in Nicosia on November 2, 2022.

Negin Bagheri and Elnaz Mohammadi, two female journalists, were given a three-year prison sentence with half of it suspended for suspected "conspiracy" and "collusion."

The journalists will spend a portion of their sentences, which equates to roughly one-fortieth of the term and less than a month in jail, as local media reported on Sunday. 

They must complete "professional ethics training" and are not permitted to leave the country during the five-year suspension of the remaining portion of the sentence.

Elnaz Mohammadi works for the reformist Ham Mihan Daily newspaper, which received this information through their attorney, Amir Raisian.

However, the report did not go into great detail about the particular accusations made against these journalists, raising numerous uncertainties regarding the nature of their alleged "conspiracy" and "collusion."

In Iran, where journalists increasingly confront difficulties and threats while performing their jobs, this penalty fits a troubling pattern. Elahe Mohammadi, a Ham Mihan employee and the sister of Elnaz Mohammadi has been detained since September 2022 for her reporting on Mahsa Amini's funeral, an Iranian Kurd who unfortunately passed away in police detention at the age of 22.

As she was detained for allegedly breaking the Islamic Republic's dress code, Amini's death sparked huge nationwide demonstrations.

There were several fatalities and thousands more arrests as a result of the 2022 demonstrations. Officials described these demonstrations as "foreign-instigated 'riots,'" and seven men were executed in cases involving protest-related attacks on security personnel.

Notably, arrests have been reported in large numbers ahead of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's passing by rights organizations headquartered outside of Iran. Concerns concerning press freedom in the nation are raised by the continued repression of journalists and the media.

Additionally, it was revealed last month that over 90 journalists had been either imprisoned or interrogated by Iranian authorities since the 2022 protests.

Iran's severe position on press freedom is further demonstrated by the journalist Nazila Maroufian's recent re-arrest. She had earlier been released on bail after disobeying Iran's tight dress code.

These events highlight the difficulties that Iranian journalists endure and the pressing necessity to defend the right to freedom of the press.