15 Years Prison Sentence for Yalda Moayeri, Award-Winning Photojournalist and Courage in Journalism Award Recipient

Yalda Moayeri, a recognized Iranian photojournalist and recipient of an international courage in journalism award, has been sentenced in absentia by Branch 29 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court to 15 years of imprisonment; a ruling issued following years of security and judicial pressure against the photographer for her coverage of protests and social events in Iran.

Yalda Moayeri, an experienced Iranian photojournalist, has been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment according to published reports and her own statements on the social media platform X. The ruling was issued in absentia by Branch 29 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, and her hearing was held on July 19th without her presence. Human rights organization Hengaw and Persian-language media outlets reported on the issuance of this ruling, and the Hrana human rights news agency also reported the 15-year prison sentence for the photographer.

According to reports, security forces raided Moayeri’s home in February of the previous year, conducting a search and confiscating her electronic devices, demanding that she present herself at the Shahid Mogaddas Prosecutor’s Office in Evin for case follow-up. Her mobile phone line had also been previously blocked by order of the Ministry of Intelligence.

The issuance of this ruling comes as Yalda Moayeri had previously faced arrest and legal proceedings due to her professional activities and coverage of protests in Iran. On September 21, 2022, coinciding with nationwide protests following the death of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, she was arrested while photographing protests in Tehran. The International Women’s Media Foundation reported that Moayeri was injured during her arrest by moral police forces in central Tehran and was subsequently transferred to Qarchak Prison; she was ultimately released on bail on December 20, 2022. At that time, the Judiciary’s Media Center identified the charges against Moayeri as “anti-security actions and support for riots.”

However, prior to this, Yalda Moayeri’s name had become associated internationally with courageous journalism and coverage of crises and conflicts. The International Women’s Media Foundation introduced her in 2023 as a recipient of the Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award, an award given to journalists who have been unjustly detained, imprisoned, or incarcerated. The foundation had announced that Moayeri was facing charges related to coverage of anti-government protests in Iran at the time of receiving the award.

The International Women’s Media Foundation also noted in its introduction of Moayeri that she has spent approximately two decades of her professional career photographing war, conflicts, natural disasters, and social events, with her work published in media outlets such as Time, Newsweek, Le Monde, Le Figaro, El País, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

During her professional career, Moayeri has documented events not only in Iran but also in various countries including Georgia, Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Somalia. The International Women’s Media Foundation cited among her significant works a series on women members of Iran’s military forces as well as her photo reports on developments in Afghanistan and protests in Iran.

This photographer has also spent years documenting and recording executions in Iran. In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, she expressed her position on the increase in executions in Iran, stating: “I hope the death penalty is abolished forever.”

In 2019, Moayeri’s name also appeared in international media when then-U.S. President Donald Trump used one of her photographs without permission in a message about Iran. Moayeri protested the political use of her work; an issue that once again demonstrated the recognition of her work outside Iran. The International Women’s Media Foundation also referenced this incident in its introduction of her.

The issuance of the 15-year prison sentence for Moayeri comes amid continued security pressure against her in recent months. In June 2026, a report on a new security case against the photographer revealed that her case had been referred to court without prior notification and her bank account had been blocked.

Also in February 2026, Moayeri stated in an interview about that year’s protests that her photographs from the January 8th and 9th protests were published in the French newspaper Le Monde, after which security agents raided her home and the process of summoning and interrogating her continued.

The new ruling from Branch 29 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court now marks another phase in Yalda Moayeri’s case; a ruling that, according to published reports, includes 15 years of imprisonment and was issued in absentia. The complete details of the legal articles cited by the court and the precise breakdown of the sentence for each charge have not been fully published in international public sources, and therefore it is not possible to comment on this aspect with greater certainty.

Nevertheless, Moayeri’s work history and international awards demonstrate that her case is not merely about an unknown photographer; she is a visual journalist who, over two decades, has documented part of Iran’s social and political developments and some regional crises, and was also recognized by the International Women’s Media Foundation in 2023. Now this same photographer, an award-winning recipient of the courage in journalism award, faces a 15-year prison sentence; a ruling that has prompted reactions from organizations defending press freedom and journalists’ rights.