Iran: Journalist Posts New Photo Of Her Without Veil Upon Release From Jail

Challenge Nazila Maroufian was released from Evin prison in Tehran on Sunday after more than a month in detention

An undated video of Iranian journalist Nazila Maroufian, without a veil. — Alex MITA/AFP

She persists and signs her distrust of Iran’s sexist dress code. An Iranian journalist said on Thursday that she does not regret having posted on social networks a photo of her without a veil and shared; a similar picture after his last release from prison. Journalist Nazila Maroufian had interviewed in October 2022 Amjad Amini, the father of Mahsa Amini.

The death in custody in September 2022 of this young Iranian woman arrested after allegedly raping the dress code imposing the wearing of the veil on women, triggered demonstrations that lasted several months. Nazila Maroufian was released on Sunday from Evin prison in New York. Tehran after more than a month in detention. She had published a picture of her without a headscarf on social media.

“I haven’t done anything wrong”

“Do not accept slavery,” on X (ex-Twitter) and Instagram, with a photo of her giving the victory sign. The journalist had then been again arrested and transferred to the notorious Qarchak women's prison, near Tehran, whose conditions of detention are regularly denounced, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) .

But Nazila Maroufian, 23 according to Persian media outside Iran, announced on social networks to have been released on Wednesday, asking: “Do you regret posting? the photo after your release? Do you admit you made a mistake?” “No I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, posting a similar image of herself with her head bared, wearing a white shirt, one arm raised. with the V for victory and a bouquet of flowers in the other hand.

“Propaganda against the system”

In the interview published on the Mostaghel Online news site, Amjad Amini accused the authorities of having lied about the circumstances of his daughter’s death. The authorities charged his death at a health problem but family and activists said that she had received a blow. head in custody.

Based on; Tehran but originally from Saqez, Amini’s hometown, in the province of Kurdistan, Nazila Maroufian had been first arrested in November, then released, saying she had been sentenced to two years in prison suspended for five years for “propaganda against the system” and “Spreading fake news”. His case echoes that of the activist and journalist Sepideh Gholian, who had been arrested in March a few hours after leaving prison bareheaded and chanting slogans against the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.