Branch 101 of the Criminal Court Two in Qods County, Tehran Province, has sentenced journalist Hossein Kazemi to 14 months in prison and a fine of 8 million tomans.
Previously, Hossein Kazemi had published an open letter announcing the initiation of a judicial case against him, stating that he was summoned to the judiciary in Qods County following a complaint by the head of the Endowments and Charity Affairs Organization in the county, where he was interrogated.
The case against Kazemi stemmed from his preparation of a report on the irregular allocation of endowed properties in Qods County. In this case, the journalist was accused of “disturbing public opinion and insulting and defaming officials and agents.”
Additionally, the judge of Branch 101 of the Criminal Court Two in Qods County rejected the defense’s objection regarding the lack of jurisdiction of the court and the necessity of referring the case to the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office and the Press Court.
The issuance of the prison sentence and fine against Hossein Kazemi comes at a time when the journalist had previously been physically assaulted by the district governor of Qods County on Saturday, July 20, 2024, after visiting the municipality of Qods City following a report on illegal constructions in the area.
According to a report by the Organization for Defending Free Flow of Information (DeFFI), at least 95 Iranian journalists and media outlets faced judicial and security actions in the first six months of 2025. In this period alone, at least 46 new judicial cases were filed against journalists and media, at least six journalists experienced temporary detention, and in the trials held, Iranian journalists were collectively sentenced to 22 years and three months in prison and fines exceeding 50 million tomans.