In the latest wave of judicial and security actions against journalists and media outlets following the start of the 2024 presidential election campaign, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has filed a legal case against Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi, the editor-in-chief of Ham-Mihan newspaper.
Mizan, the media center of the judiciary, announced on Monday, June 10, 2024, in a tweet on their official X (formerly Twitter) page, that a legal case had been filed against the editor-in-chief of Ham-Mihan newspaper for what it described as “publishing offensive content.” This tweet was deleted a few hours later and replaced with a new one stating that the reason for the case against Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi was “publishing a provocative article on the social page of Ham-Mihan newspaper.”
The filing of a legal case against the editor-in-chief of Ham-Mihan newspaper is the latest in a series of judicial actions against journalists and media outlets since the start of the election campaign. In recent days, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has also charged the media outlets Hashiyeh News and Bamdad-e-No. Hadi Kasaeizadeh, editor-in-chief of Meydan Azadi monthly, received a “warning,” journalist Yashar Soltani and media activist Saba Azarpeik were arrested to serve prison sentences, media and political activist Ali Akbar Raefipour was summoned to the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office, and media activist Vahid Ashtari reported that his conviction had been sent to the Execution of Sentences Branch.
On June 6, 2024, the Iranian Press Supervisory Board also issued a directive, parts of which effectively restrict freedom of expression and disrupt independent reporting, threatening Iranian journalists and media activists with inhumane punishments such as flogging, and warning media outlets of closures and judicial actions.
On Monday, the members of the jury of the political and press courts found Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi guilty of “publishing false information and creating discord among different segments of the population.” Akbar Nasrollahi, spokesperson for the press court jury, announced this to the media, stating that the trial for the charges against the editor-in-chief of Ham-Mihan newspaper was held under the presidency of Judge Kashanki in the Third Branch of the Tehran Criminal Court One. Nasrollahi did not specify the date of the court’s decision, stating only that “the court’s verdict will be issued subsequently.”