Georgian News Leader Named Press Freedom Hero
October 15, 2025
Her release under a general amnesty spotlights Iran’s opaque use of security charges against the press
Veteran Iranian economic journalist Shirin Saeedi has been released from Tehran’s Evin Prison after more than 21 months in detention, under a general amnesty and sentence reduction in mid-October 2025. She was first summoned to court in December 2023 and transferred to the women’s ward of Evin after interrogation. In March 2024, Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced her to five years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion with intent to act against national security,” citing her participation in overseas journalism trainings in South Africa as evidence.
Saeedi, known for her reporting on economic issues, has worked for major Iranian media outlets such as Hamshahri, Sarmayeh, Tehran Emrooz, and Shahrvand, and contributed to stock market analyses and the Ministry of Agriculture. Her arrest drew condemnation from press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, which called it an attack on press freedoms.
Her release through amnesty, rather than acquittal, highlights the opaque and politicized nature of Iran’s judicial system, where journalists are often detained under national security charges and freed selectively. Saeedi’s case underscores the vulnerability of Iranian journalists, whose fates often depend on political calculations rather than transparent legal processes.
To read the full story – https://tjcproject.org/iranian-economic-journalist-freed-from-evin-prison/