Iranian Journalist Released After Serving Prison Sentence

Journalist Jina Modarres-Gorji was released from prison after completing a sentence related to her participation in Iran's nationwide protests.

Modarres-Gorji was freed from Sanandaj Central Prison after serving her term. She had been imprisoned since November 2024.

An appeals court sentenced her to 16 months for "forming an illegal group with the intent to overthrow the state" and one year for "propaganda against the state." She was acquitted of "collaboration with hostile groups and governments."

The original Revolutionary Court sentence had been 21 years in prison and exile to Hamedan, later reduced to 28 months, with four months credited for pre-trial detention.

Charges against her included founding the Zhivano Association, attending protests, maintaining contact with opposition elements, participating in international conferences, and giving interviews to foreign media following Mahsa Amini's death.

Modarres-Gorji was arrested by intelligence agents in April 2023 while returning from work. She spent a month in solitary confinement and was released in July 2023 after 84 days on bail.

She had also been arrested in September 2022 during protests in Sanandaj and held for 40 days before being released on bail.

Iran has arrested thousands of people since protests began following Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in September 2022.