According to information obtained by IranWire, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has summoned some journalists, actors, and human rights and civil activists to Branches 9 and 16 of the Culture and Media Court in Tehran for publicly opposing capital punishment. This comes precisely at a time when Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, head of the Judiciary, praised journalists as "defenseless" individuals. Yet one might ask: which journalists is he referring to? It appears that systemic censorship, unfair rulings, and extrajudicial punishments targeting independent journalists were not enough; now, in the corridors of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office, media professionals must fight for their rights simply for opposing the "execution" law.
This report examines the hallways of the Culture and Media Court during these tense days, from journalists to actors and human rights activists.
"They have hit all of us with charges of 'propaganda against the regime' and 'disturbing public opinion' simply because we oppose execution. Execution under any charge and for any crime," says one of the journalists facing a judge in the Culture and Media Court. "Just as I oppose state executions, I oppose revenge-driven attacks against Hezbollah loyalists. The Islamic Republic fails to realize that its insistence on execution and killing only fuels a cycle of violence."
