In a recent development, an Iranian Revolutionary Court has pronounced severe prison sentences for two women journalists for their reporting on the tragic death of Kurdish-Iranian citizen Mahsa Amini while in custody. The state media disclosed this disheartening news on Sunday.

Last September, the untimely demise of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was under the custody of morality police for alleged violations of the Islamic dress code, triggered widespread protests throughout Iran. These protests marked the most significant challenge to the country’s clerical leadership in decades.

According to Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi have been sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison, respectively. They are facing charges that include collaboration with the U.S. government and actions against national security.

The legal representatives for these two journalists have vehemently refuted the charges brought against them. As per IRNA’s report, the sentencing details are as follows: “They received seven years and six years each, respectively, for collaborating with the hostile U.S. government. Furthermore, each was given five years in prison for acting against national security and an additional year for propaganda against the system.”

Hamedi was detained after capturing an image of Amini’s parents embracing each other in a Tehran hospital, where their daughter was in a coma. On the other hand, Mohammadi’s arrest followed her coverage of Amini’s funeral in her hometown of Saqez, where the initial protests began.

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