Iran Escalates Repression of Women Journalists Since Mahsa Amini’s Death, RSF Warns

Two years after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released a detailed report exposing the systematic repression of women journalists in Iran. The report documents how female reporters have become primary targets of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on dissent following the mass “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that erupted in September 2022.

According to RSF, at least 42 journalists were arrested in the initial weeks of the protests, 15 of whom were women. Broader estimates suggest up to 79 journalists have been detained since Amini’s death, with women disproportionately affected. The repression has been particularly harsh against those who reported on Amini’s arrest and funeral, or who gave voice to the nationwide protests that followed.

Two of the most high-profile cases are those of Niloufar Hamedi of Shargh newspaper and Elaheh Mohammadi of Ham Mihan. Both were arrested in September 2022 and later sentenced to seven and six years in prison, respectively, on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “collusion against national security.” Though both were briefly released on bail and had their sentences reduced on appeal, they remain under intense scrutiny and face ongoing restrictions.

RSF’s investigation highlights not only the arrests but the abusive conditions these journalists endure: secret trials, prolonged solitary confinement, forced confessions, and threats of violence. Several female journalists reported receiving death threats from Iranian security agents, with some being told during interrogations, “You will be killed.”

These actions are part of a wider state crackdown in which over 500 protesters have been killed and nearly 20,000 arrested, many subjected to torture and sexual violence. The UN has documented these abuses, and press freedom advocates warn they are being used as tools of terror and control.

RSF calls on Iranian authorities to release all detained journalists, end legal harassment, and respect press freedom. The organization stresses that women journalists have played a vital role in exposing human rights abuses and that their persecution is a direct assault on truth, justice, and democratic accountability in Iran.