Report on Media and Journalists Suppression in Iran; First Half of 2024

The report on the suppression of media and journalists in the first half of 2024 is based on 216 documented cases by researchers from the Organization for the Defending Free Flow Of Information (DeFFI). According to these documented cases, from January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024 (11 Dey 1402 – 10 Tir 1403 in the Iranian calendar), 181 media outlets, journalists, and media activists experienced judicial and security confrontations from the Islamic Republic.

July 16, 2024 – Source: DeFFI –

During this period, the Defending Free Flow Of Information recorded 236 instances of judicial and security confrontations by the Islamic Republic with media, journalists, and media activists, successfully uncovering and documenting part of the patterns of media suppression by the Islamic Republic, increasing this organization’s share of total published reports related to violations of journalists’ and media rights in Iran to 27 percent. 

However, in several of the past months, the statistics on the suppression of journalists and media noticeably increased. The rising trend in media and journalist suppression demonstrated a significant correlation with major social events in Iran.

During the first half of 2024, Iranian journalists and media experienced four waves of suppression, each of which began immediately after a major social event. The attack on the anniversary ceremony of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, in January, the unprecedented military confrontation between Iran and Israel in April, and the release of the BBC World report in April about the killing process of “Nika Shakarami” were events that activated the judicial and security mechanisms of the Islamic Republic to further suppress journalists, media, and social media users.

However, the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash marked the start of the most extensive media and journalist suppression in 2024. This trend continued for 45 days following this event until the day of the second round of the presidential elections.

Concurrently with the start of each of the four waves of media and journalist suppression in Iran, the Islamic Republic, with the help of state media, quasi-media, government-affiliated media activists, and regime-supporting social media users, organized extensive campaigns to spread false or misleading news and reports; these campaigns aimed to prevent challenges to the official narrative or reduce the impact of independent narratives.

The year 2024 in Iran began with at least nine journalists and media activists in prison and detention centers. Niloufar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi, Nasim Soltan-Beigi, Vida Rabbani, and Saeedeh Shafiee in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, Soltan Ali Abedi and Abubakr Touhidi in Zahedan Prison, Ebrahim Rashidi in the Intelligence Ministry detention center in Ardabil, and Kamyar Fakour in Evin Prison started the year 2024.

Throughout six months, at least 34 journalists and media activists were arrested or had their imprisonment sentences enforced. By the end of June 2024, eight journalists and media activists were still imprisoned. Nasrin Hassani, Parisa Salehi, Vida Rabbani, Shirin Saeedi, Saba Azarpeik, Kamyar Fakour, Rouhollah Naghavi, and Yashar Soltani were still serving their sentences in Iranian prisons by the end of June.

In the first half of 2024, members of the jury of political and press courts and judges of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic issued verdicts against media and journalists in at least 78 cases.

During six months, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic sentenced 26 journalists and media activists, including seven women and 19 men, to a total of 31 years, six months, and two days in prison, 10 years of exile imprisonment, fines totaling 93 million tomans, four years of exile, and four years of prohibition from the journalism profession.

The heaviest sentences issued against journalists in the past six months were against two women; Zhina Modaresi Gorji, a journalist and women’s rights activist, was sentenced to 10 years of enforceable imprisonment and exile, and Shirin Saeedi, an economic reporter and political prisoner, was sentenced to five years in prison.

In the first half of 2024, 52 Iranian journalists and media outlets faced a total of 56 new legal cases.

In the cases filed and the verdicts issued against journalists in the first half of 2024, “publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion,” under Article 746 of the Islamic Penal Code, was the most frequently cited charge against Iranian journalists and media, appearing 135 times.

“Propaganda against the regime” appeared 18 times, “disclosing classified documents” eight times, “unveiling” seven times, “defamation” seven times, “disturbing public order and peace,” “gathering and colluding to act against national security,” “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic,” each appeared three times, and “insulting sanctities,” “inciting people to violence,” “establishing illegal groups,” and “collaborating with hostile states,” together appeared six times as other charges against  Iranian media and journalists.

Based on the documented cases by DeFFI, the security and judicial agencies of the Islamic Republic violated the legal rights of journalists under prosecution at least 225 times in six months.

Holding press trials in non-public sessions in 44 cases, depriving 44 imprisoned and detained journalists of family visits, 31 arbitrary arrests of journalists and media activists without legal procedures, holding press trials without jury presence in 22 cases, depriving detained journalists of legal counsel in 19 cases, unlawfully seizing journalists’ personal and professional belongings in 10 cases, detaining journalists in inhumane conditions in detention centers in eight cases, and inflicting psychological torture on six detained journalists were the most frequent violations of journalists’ rights documented by the Defending Free Flow Of Information in the first half of 2024.

Issuing verdicts without trial, depriving imprisoned or detained journalists of effective medical services, using indiscriminate violence and beating journalists during arrest, harassing and pressuring the families of detainees, and sexually harassing journalists during arrest were other violations repeatedly committed by the judicial and security agencies of the Islamic Republic in the first half of 2024.

In the first half of 2024, the suppression of media in Iran, similar to journalists in this country, continued without interruption and with minimal fluctuations. The most extensive media suppression during this period coincided with the presidential election campaign in Iran. Within less than three weeks, security and judicial agencies prosecuted at least 27 media outlets, setting a new record for security and judicial confrontations with media since the beginning of 2024.

From the beginning of 2024 to the end of the sixth month, 61 media outlets were prosecuted in 69 separate cases. During this period, legal cases were filed against 13 newspapers, news websites, and news agencies, judicial and security agencies disrupted the professional activities of media outlets in 23 cases by summoning, threatening, or “warning” managing directors, and members of the jury of political and press courts and judges of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic convicted or issued verdicts against 21 media outlets.

In the first half of 2024, DidarNews and Fardaye Eghtesad experienced shutdowns, the website of the news site Didban Iran was filtered for 22 days, and the Economic Security Police of Tehran sealed the studio of the visual media Fardaye Eghtesad.

Sealing the studio of Fardaye Eghtesad was the second extrajudicial action of the Economic Security Police of Tehran against this media outlet. On February 5, 2024 (16 Bahman 1402), Economic Security Police officers entered the newsroom of Fardaye Eghtesad and detained all members of the newsroom in the Kian Building in Argentina Square, Tehran, for hours.

In this incident, at least five journalists from Fardaye Eghtesad were arrested. Ali Mirzakhani, the editor-in-chief of this media, was released three days after his arrest in the Kian Building on February 8 (19 Bahman). Behdad Behnamnejad, deputy editor of Fardaye Eghtesad, Ali Tasnemi, radio presenter of Fardaye Eghtesad, Nikan Khabazi, studio manager, and Mehrdad Asgari, video journalist of this media, were transferred from the newsroom of Fardaye Eghtesad to the Shapoor Tehran detention center on February 9 (20 Bahman).

Behdad Behnamnejad and Mehrdad Asgari were released from temporary detention on Thursday, February 15 (26 Bahman), after 10 days. Fardaye Eghtesad resumed its activities on Saturday, February 24 (5 Esfand), on the twentieth day of its suspension, and Nikan Khabazi was released on Tuesday, March 4 (14 Esfand), after nearly a month in detention. However, Ali Tasnemi, the last detained member of Fardaye Eghtesad, spent more than two months in detention.

Similar to journalists, the most frequent charge against Iranian media was “publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion,” under Articles 698 and 746 of the Islamic Penal Code, appearing 56 times.

The frequent charge of publishing falsehoods in press cases proves that the Islamic Republic is purposefully attempting to discredit journalists and non-governmental media; an action that takes place in an extralegal context and lacks criminal elements.

Report on Media and Journalists Suppression in Iran; First Half of 2024