Kurdish-Iranian journalists jailed, sentenced to 90 lashes

Kurdish-Iranian Journalists Sharam Amjadian and Morteza Haq-Bayan were sentenced to two and half years in jail for allegedly spreading false news, according to the Iraqi-Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw.

Both journalists, who previously ran a news channel on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, were also sentenced to 90 lashes each.

“Iranian authorities should not contest the appeals of journalists Sharam Amjadian and Morteza Haq-Bayan, and must stop legally harassing members of the press for their work,” Sherif Mansour, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said.

“Neither journalist should spend one day in jail, and should certainly not be subjected to lashes in retaliation for their news coverage.”

According to the rights group, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested Amjadian and Haq-Bayan in August 2019 and held them in solitary confinement for two months before releasing them on bail. Their trial started in November 2020.