The International Sports Press Association (AIPS) is “deeply concerned” about the situation of Iranian journalist Niloofar Hamedi, who has been behind bars for 10 months for her coverage of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody, a spokesperson says.
"AIPS and the Sports Journalists Association of Iran (ISJA), have been actively engaged in addressing her case," AIPS spokeswoman Azra Isic said in a statement sent to IranWire on July 19.
"Throughout her 300 days of detention, we have consistently advocated for Ms Hamedi's release and have raised our concerns with relevant authorities," she added. "We have initiated multiple correspondences with Iranian officials, to seek more information about her well-being and the circumstances surrounding her arrest.”
Hamedi was a sports reporter for a long time.
The journalist was arrested in September last year after she took a photograph of Amini's parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital a few days after the 22-year-old Amini died, sparking months of nationwide protests. The picture was published by the Shargh daily.
Hamedi is accused of collaborating with the "hostile" government of the United States, colluding to commit crimes against national security, and engaging in propaganda activities against the system.
She vehemently rejected all the accusations against her as her trial kicked off behind closed doors on May 30.
On July 18, her husband Mohammad Hossein Ajarlo shared a picture of his wife on his social media accounts and wrote: "It has been 300 days since the unlawful arrest of Niloofar Hamedi, solely for the crime of speaking the truth. However, we refuse to surrender. Our strength surpasses yours."
In a speech on July 2, AIPS President Gianni Merlo called for the release of Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, another woman journalist jailed over her coverage of Amini’s death.
He said that Hamedi and Mohammadi “have been in prison for months because they committed the crime of honestly doing their job.”
“...we are deeply concerned about Ms Hamedi's situation, and not only her situation but also the other Iranian colleagues in jail. We empathize with the prolonged uncertainty surrounding their detention,” Isic said in her statement.
“We can confirm that our association, AIPS, has consistently raised awareness of Ms Hamedi's plight during various AIPS events,” she added. “We firmly believe in utilizing our platform to advocate for press freedom and the safety of journalists worldwide.”
The Iranian Association of Sports Journalists has not taken any concrete actions in support of the journalists arrested during last year’s nationwide protests sparked by Amini’s death.
The association only issued a vague statement that did not mention the names of any of the jailed journalists.
The head of the organization, Abdulhamid Ahmadi, is known to be associated with the security institutions of the Islamic Republic.
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