Iranian journalist in jail for breaking news of Mahsa’s death
Niloofer Hamedi, a journalist who broke the news of Mahsa Amini’s death, was arrested on September 22. She was arrested because she had long been interested in and concerned about the role that the “morality police” played in Iranian society and in enforcing the country’s laws requiring women to wear headscarves.
On September 16, the reporter, who works for the reformist daily newspaper Shargh, was able to enter Kasra Hospital in Tehran, where Mahsi Amini, 22, was receiving treatment after being detained by the morality police for allegedly inappropriately wearing her hijab.
Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, had a sudden heart problem, according to the police, but her parents denied this. Later that day, she would pass away.
Hamedi tweeted a picture of Amini’s parents sobbing at the hospital that same Friday.
The image spread quickly along with Hamedi’s reporting on Amini’s passing, eventually escalating into nationwide demonstrations that have so far resulted in at least 76 deaths, according to rights organisations, and renewed calls for the repeal of the law requiring women to cover their heads and the so-called “morality police” who brutally enforce it.
According to the different news sources, different colleagues of Niloofer Hameedi shared their views regarding her arrest.
“She has always been a brave journalist, and her bold reports have made society aware,” said Sima.
“Journalism in Iran is not a job. It is a potential crime from the point of view of security institutions,” she added.
Iranian journalist in jail for breaking news of Mahsa’s death
Another colleague who works at newspaper, Ashraf, said: “If it weren’t for her courage, the tragic incident that happened to Mahsa Amini would not have been reported to the media so quickly.”
Her lawyer Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi wrote on Twitter, “This morning, security agents raided the house of my client Niloofar Hamedi, journalist of Shargh newspaper, arrested her, searched her house and confiscated her belongings”.
At the same time, her Twitter account, where she posted the influential photo of Amini’s parents, was suspended without any explanation.
