Their journalism sparked a protest movement in Iran. They could be jailed at any moment

As It Happens7:08Their journalism sparked a protest movement in Iran. They could be jailed at any moment

At any moment, journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi could be rounded up and thrown back in jail for work that helped spark a massive protest movement in Iran.

The pair, first arrested in 2022, have been out on bail since January, when they appealed their sentences on three charges related to their coverage of the death of a young woman in police custody.

This week, they learned their sentences have been reduced by nearly half after one of the charges was dropped. But they're still facing five years behind bars a sentence Iranian authorities say could be carried outat any time.

The delay between issuing the sentence and carrying it out is "a form of intimidation," says Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the U.S.-based Center for Human Rights in Iran

"That means they keep them in a limbo," he told As It Happens host Nil Kksal. "They are not going to have the freedom to carry out their work, and they will be constantly under watch."

Breaking the news ofMahsa Amini's death

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, died on Sept. 16, 2022, just days after she was arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the country's mandatory headscarf law.

Iran has consistently maintained she died from a heart attack, but her loved ones and supporters say she was beaten to death by police.

Her death triggered a wave of protests across the country in what has become known as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. It marks Iran's biggest domestic unrest since the 1979 revolution that brought its clerical rulers to power.

News of the death first spread through Iran thanks in large part to early reporting by Hamedi, who worked for the newspaper Shargh, and Mohammadi, who worked for the newspaper Ham-Mihan.

Hamedo and Mohammadi were arrested in 2022 and later sentenced to 13 and 12 years, respectively, on charges of colluding against national security, propaganda against the systemandcollaborating with the U.S. government.

On Sunday, judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir told a news conference the pair have been acquitted on the collusion charge, but the other charges stand.

WATCH | 1 year afterMahsa Amini's death:

Defiance, crackdowns in Iran a year after the protests

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Mahsa Aminis death while in the custody of Irans morality police for wearing her headscarf too loosely triggered months of protests in what became one of the biggest threats the Islamic regime has ever faced. One year later, CBCs Ellen Mauro breaks down whats changed and what hasnt.

"These women have committed no crime. They are journalists who are doing their job. And, effectively, by sentencing them to such a lengthy prison term, they are criminalizing journalism," Ghaemi said.

"The Islamic Republic continues to target people associated with the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and wants to put them away, imprison them, and put an end to this movement."

Reporters Without Borders, the International Press Instituteand the Committee to Protect Journalists have all called for Hamediand Mohammadi to be cleared of all charges.

No amnesty for prominent activists

There was hope that might happen last yearwhen Iran announced its supreme leader had granted amnesty for some 22,000 people arrested in the anti-government protests.

But since then,the non-profit group Human Rights Watch says,"numerous activists, including feminist activists and women's rights defenders, remain in prison or face imminent imprisonment."

That includes Narges Mohammadi, who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize behind bars in 2023 for her role in the Woman, Life, Freedom protests.

A longtime Iranian human rights activist, she is currently serving multiple sentences amounting to about 12 years imprisonment on charges that includespreading propaganda against the state.

LISTEN |Narges Mohammadi still jailed 1 year after Nobel Peace Prize:

As It Happens7:24Iran punished activist Narges Mohammadi for Nobel Peace Prize, says brother

One year after Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize behind bars, that's exactly where she remains. In fact, her brother Hamidreza Mohammadi told As It Happens host Nil Kksal that life in Evin prison got worse for Mohammadi after she won, as authorities cut off her communication with loved ones and denied her requests for health care.

Her family says Iranian authorities punished her for winning the Nobel, cutting off her communication with loved ones and repeatedly denying her requests for health care.

But her brotherHamidreza Mohammadisays it hasn't broken her spirit.

"Narges's love for life, freedom and happiness is not something that can be taken away from her," hetold As It Happens last week, on the anniversary of his sister's Nobel victory.

"She sings in the prison. She dances with the other women in the prison."

How a Middle East war could impact prisoners

Ghaemisays he worries if tensions continue escalatingbetween Iran and Israelthat war will break out, and Iran will crack down even harder on dissidents inside its own country.

He noted that in 1988, during the Iran-Iraq War, Iran executed thousands of political prisoners.

"We have seen them that whenever they are cornered and engaged in international conflict or war, they turn their attention first and foremost in taking revenge on their domestic opponents and Iranian people. They see them as the most vulnerable," he said.

"We believe that the more people understand the interconnection between the two, hopefully all leverage would be used to prevent it from repeating its history."

With files from Reuters and The Associated Press. Interview with Hadi Ghaemi produced by Nishat Chowdhury