Silenced Voices, Stolen Lives: The Ongoing Struggle for Iranian Women Journalists

Mahsa Jina Amini’s death was the moment that women said enough is enough. We, Iranian women, were so frustrated by the injustices, lack of basic freedoms, and systematic violations of human rights that we burst into the streets to protest, and journalists bravely reported the truth. 

Being a journalist in Iran means you are constantly in danger. Iran has one of the highest rates of journalists arrested in the world. Reporters Without Borders calls Iran “one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists and most repressive countries in terms of press freedom since the death of Mahsa Amini.” Being a woman makes things even harder as you face structural discrimination and gender apartheid. If you publish a story about state brutality or human rights violations by the regime, the consequences are severe.

Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi, two courageous journalists, were the first to report on the killing of Mahsa Amini. Because of that, they endured arrest and solitary confinement. After spending 15 months in prison for their reporting, Mohammadi and Hamedi received prison sentences of 13 and 12 years, and have since been released on bail. Both women chose not to wear the hijab upon their release, prompting the Iranian judiciary to initiate a new case against them just 24 hours after their release. This story garnered international attention, but it is just one story of the lives of Iranian female journalists; many others face these threats all the time. 

One year after Mahsa Amini's death, 17-year-old Armita Garavand was assaulted and beaten by the morality police in a Tehran metro station for not wearing a headscarf, resulting in a coma. Journalist Maryam Lotfi visited the hospital to interview Armita’s parents but was detained by the Iranian authorities for several hours. Later released on bail, Lotfi faced months of interrogation. Armita died a few days after the assault.

The increasing stories of women’s rights violations only add to the burdens shouldered by female journalists who must navigate arrests, surveillance, harassment, and threats without an independent judiciary. Any journalist who writes stories about women’s rights is immediately accused of espionage and working with the “enemy state.” The Woman Life Freedom movement saw the arrest of more than 90 journalists, many of whom were women. Furthermore, a woman who goes to prison or interrogation rooms will often face mental pressure, physical abuse, and, in almost every case, sexual abuse.

Despite the risks, the female journalists of Iran continue to shed light on the darkness of the religious dictatorship that rules the country and the gender apartheid that Iranian women face every day.

Currently, there are four charges against me. One is publishing my picture without a hijab on my Instagram. If I am convicted of this charge, the punishment would be lashes. Am I scared? Do I regret being a journalist or a women's rights activist? Not for a second. We do this for the millions of girls who must have bodily autonomy and basic rights. This is for them.