State media in Iran say Khamenei pardons journalists who reported woman’s death, sparking protests

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader has pardoned two female journalists who reported the death of a woman in police custody in 2022, state media reported.

A report by Mizanonline, affiliated with the country’s judiciary, said Niloufar Hamedi, who broke the news of Mahsa Amini’s death, and Elaheh Mohammadi, who wrote about Amini’s funeral, were on the list of hundreds of people pardoned by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week.

Khamenei in the past has issued pardons on the February anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In 2023, a court that deals with security cases sentenced the journalists to seven and six years in prison on charges including collaborating with the U.S. government and propaganda against the system. They had been out on bail since January 2024.

Amini’s death in police custody sparked months of protests in dozens of cities across Iran, posing one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic in the past two decades.

Hamedi’s and Mohammadi’s reporting was crucial for spreading the word in the days after Amini’s death, and their detentions sparked international criticism. Nearly 100 journalists were arrested during the demonstrations.

Iran for months did not offer overall casualty figures from the demonstrations, while acknowledging tens of thousands were detained. Human rights activists said at least 529 people were killed by security forces.