Iranian Reporter Loses Job As Journalist Wife Remains Behind Bars

Iranian reporter Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou says the official IRNA news agency is not renewing his contract, as his wife, also a journalist, has been remanded in custody for the past five months.

Ajorlou shared on social media on February 21 a letter from the head of IRNA’s administrative affairs announcing that his contractual employment contract will not be renewed at the beginning of the Persian calendar year in March.

The letter did not give any reason for the move.

"Finally, it ends like this," Ajorlou, who has spent 13 years of his career with IRNA, said in his post.

IRNA is the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, and its CEO is appointed by its president.

Ajorlou’s wife, Niloufar Hamedi, is a reporter for the Tehran-based newspaper Shargh. She was arrested on September 22, 2022, after covering the hospitalization of Mahsa Amini.

Amini’s died on September 16 after falling into a coma while in the custody of morality police, triggering ongoing nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic.

The security forces have cracked down hard on the demonstrations, killing more than 520 people and unlawfully detaining over 19,000, including dozens of journalists. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.