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September 23, 2025 – Iran –
Journalist and women’s rights activist Jina Modarres-Gorji has been released from Sanandaj Central Prison after completing her prison term, following a high-profile case tied to Iran’s protests and press repression.
Modarres-Gorji was initially arrested in November 2024 and subsequently sentenced by an appeals court to 16 months in prison for “forming an illegal group with the intent to overthrow the state” and one year for “propaganda against the state.” She was acquitted of “collaboration with hostile groups and governments.”
Her original sentence had been much harsher: a Revolutionary Court had imposed 21 years in prison and exile, later reduced on appeal to 28 months, with four months subtracted for pretrial detention, yielding the 16-month enforceable term.
During her detention, she had been held in Sanandaj’s women’s ward, beginning her sentence on 2 November 2024. In earlier arrests, she was held in solitary confinement and released on bail after months in detention; she had also been detained during protests in 2022.
The charges against Modarres-Gorji were rooted in her activism after the death of Mahsa Amini. Authorities accused her of founding the Zhivano Association, attending protests, maintaining connections with opposition groups, participating in international conferences, and giving interviews to foreign media.
Rights organisations and local sources report that she was freed on 22 September 2025 after serving the sentence in full.
Her release marks a significant moment in her case: one that illustrates the dangers faced by journalists and activists operating under restrictive regimes, the pressure for international legal and rights scrutiny, and the ongoing struggles for accountability, justice, and media freedom in Iran.
If you like, I can also prepare a short social media summary or an opposite side (legal & human rights) perspective on her case.
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