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Iran: Nada Sabouri started her jail sentence of 3.5 years over 2014 conviction

August 24, 2020, Tehran, Iran -- Nada Sabouri, a former journalist and civil society activist was arrested by representatives of the Tehran prosecutor’s office on 7 August and was taken to Evin prison to serve a sentence of three and a half years in prison. Nada is being charged with “assembly and collusion” for protesting the prison conditions in Evin Prison of Tehran in 2014.

In April 2014, Nada Sabouri accompanied the families of political prisoners in their protest gatherings outside the mullahs’ parliament, the Prosecutor’s Office and the office of the mullahs’ president. The gatherings were in protest to the brutal beating of political prisoners in Ward 350 of Evin Prison. Nada and six others were arrested during these protests.

Jailing of Nada years after the alleged “crime” in the middle of a pandemic is another retaliatory act by the mullah led jurisdiction wanting to take revenge on journalists for criticizing the way the government handles Covid-19 pandemic.

The regime is notorious for persecuting journalists, especially women journalists, and imprisoning them for doing their work. In 2019, 11 women journalists were behind bars in Iran. The country’s Cyber Police have currently set up a national task force to deal with rumours and misinformation regarding the virus. The government arrested 24 people for disseminating “misinformation” regarding the outbreak on social media, and around 118 also received warnings. The lack of transparency is at its peak during a crisis that has surpassed borders. Similar to China, independent reporting and citizen journalism have taken a hit in Iran as well.

The already overcrowded prisons in Iran pose a huge risk to prisoners amidst the pandemic with lack of proper hygiene measures and impossibility of observing social distancing.

Recently, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran to inspect the country’s prisons as soon as possible and raised concern about conditions where journalists are kept.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is utterly concerned about the 25 jailed women journalists in Iran. We call upon the authorities to end stifling of the press freedom and take precautionary measures in order to ensure health and safety of its citizens.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org

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