The trial of a second Iranian journalist arrested after covering the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who sparked a massive protest movement in Iran, opened on Tuesday (May 30th), his newspaper said. The trial of 30-year-old Niloufar Hamedi began a day after that of Elaheh Mohammadi, 36, who has also been in detention for several months.
The two women were imprisoned for covering up the death on 16 September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd arrested in Tehran by the morality police for violating the Islamic Republic's dress code, including requiring women to wear the veil in public.
'Propaganda'
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Today's hearing was devoted to the reading of the indictment and the written and oral answers" of the accused to the judge's questions, Parto Borhanpour, Niloufar Hamedi's lawyer, told the reformist daily Shargh, for which the journalist worked. "There was no time for the oral defense," she said, adding that the lawyers were able to present their objections and demands to the court. The lawyers protested against "Niloufar Hamedi's lack of access to a lawyer during his detention" and demanded that the trial take place "publicly".
The two women are being tried separately and behind closed doors in Tehran. They face the death penalty after being charged on 8 November with "propaganda" against the Islamic Republic and conspiracy against national security. Niloufar Hamedi's lawyers also protested his continued detention despite the completion of the "preliminary investigation". The journalist was arrested on 20 September after reporting from the hospital where Mahsa Amini spent three days in a coma before dying.
'This is an illegal act'
Elaheh Mohammadi, who worked for another reformist newspaper, Ham Miham, was arrested on 29 September after travelling to Saghez, the town of Mahsa Amini in Kurdistan province, to cover her funeral, which had sparked a demonstration. His lawyer, Shahab Mirlohi, on Monday described the first hearing as "positive". According to Ham Miham, Mirlohi said that the lawyers present in court had not been allowed to defend their client, which Iran's judiciary denied on Tuesday.
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This is an illegal act, one of the defense lawyers made false statements about the conduct of the hearing in an interview," said Mizan Online, the website of the Judicial Authority. Several hundred people, including members of the security forces, were killed and thousands arrested during demonstrations in October and November before receding. Seven men were executed for their involvement in the movement.
