Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi's trial; "Lawyers have not yet met with their clients"
The spokesman for the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced on Tuesday, June 26, that the first-instance trial of Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, two journalists arrested in connection with their coverage of the Mahsa Amini death case, will be held on June 26 and 27.
In response to a question about the case of the two detained journalists, Masoud Setayishi said: "With the efforts of the head of the relevant branch and regardless of the workload, the lawyers were provided with the opportunity to study and prepare their defense."
The Judiciary Spokesperson added: "The hearing date for the court case of Elahe Mohammadi has been announced for June 28 and Niloufar Hamedi for June 29, so that their case can be heard and determined with complete accuracy and speed in accordance with Islamic principles and legal regulations."
The first-instance trial of the two journalists will be held after nine months of detention, while many activists and human rights organizations have criticized the two journalists' lack of access to their lawyers.
Mohammad Hossein Ajorloo, Niloufar Mohammadi's husband, also reacted to this news on Twitter, writing: "In the ninth month of Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi's detention, the court date was set while this matter was not communicated to them or their lawyers, and we were informed through the judiciary spokesperson."
He added: "There is less than a week left until the trial, but the lawyers have still not been able to meet and talk with their clients."
In this context, the Committee to Protect Journalists, in response to the news of the trial of these two journalists, has strongly condemned the performance of the Islamic Republic's judicial system towards journalists, pointing out that journalism is not a crime.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has also demanded that the two journalists have access to their lawyers.
Elahe Mohammadi, a reporter for the newspaper "Hammihan" and Niloufar Hamedi, a reporter for the newspaper "Sharq", who covered the events following the death of Mahsa Amini, were arrested by the security agencies of the Islamic Republic in the very first days of the nationwide protests and are still in prison.
The spark for nationwide and ongoing protests in Iran began on September 16 of last year following the death of Mahsa (Zina) Amini in the custody of the Ershad patrol, and its scope quickly expanded.
Niloufar Hamedi was arrested shortly after the news of Mahsa Amini's death was published, and Elahe Mohammadi was arrested after reporting on Gina's funeral at the Saqqez cemetery.
Source: Radio Farda
