Whistleblower of government internet shutdown during November protests sentenced to prison and banned from journalism

Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed was sentenced to prison and banned from journalism by a ruling of the Revolutionary Court.

This Iranian journalist, who was arrested twice last year for publishing texts regarding the internet shutdown during the November protests and criticizing the government's performance in combating the coronavirus, announced on Wednesday, September 3, in a text on his Twitter that he had been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to 4 years and 9 months in prison, a 2-year ban on journalism, and the confiscation of communication equipment.

If this verdict is confirmed by the appeals court, based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding the aggregation of sentences, 4 years of prison sentence will be applicable as the maximum penalty.

According to Mohammad Musaed, the judge in the case called the journalist's media activities "slander," "creating a crisis," "inciting an empty-minded audience," and "undermining the foundation," and issued the aforementioned ruling based on that.

Mohammad Musaed, who previously worked for the Sharq newspaper, is no longer working with any media outlet in Iran due to security pressures, but he continues to spread awareness on social media.

Mr. Mosaed reacted to the internet outage in Iran on Twitter, simultaneously with the November protests, and wrote: "In the absence of the internet, metropolises have become thousands of small, densely packed villages. When communication devices are cut off, the horizon of vision is reduced to a few meters, and it no longer matters how many kilometers or thousands of kilometers you are away. Say hello to the dancing hyenas equipped with the internet, young minister."

His second tweet was in English and was met with a huge response.

Mohammad Mosaed wrote: "Tak Tak, hello free world... I used 42 proxies to write this. Millions of Iranians do not have internet. Can you hear us?"

He was arrested after the internet shutdown was announced during the popular protests of November 2019, and after his release, he was arrested again for criticizing the Iranian government's inappropriate response to the coronavirus.

In late July, the Iranian journalist was selected by the Committee to Protect Journalists, along with three journalists from Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Russia, as the winner of the 2020 Press Freedom Award. The New York-based international organization has introduced Mohammad Mosaed as a journalist who has worked on corruption and labor issues for several media outlets.

Recently, the 3-year prison sentence of Keyvan Samimi, a veteran journalist and editor of Iran Magazine, which was previously issued by the Revolutionary Court on charges of “gathering and colluding with the intention of disrupting the security of the country,” was confirmed by Branch 36 of the Court of Appeals. In response to the issuance of this sentence, Mr. Samimi told VOA that the Islamic Republic has been pursuing a policy of repression and punishment for 40 years and believes that victory is achieved through instilling fear and terror.

Source: Voice of America