Fatemeh Gholipour, a reporter for Rokna News Agency, was summoned by the FATA Police (Cyber Police) and had a legal case filed against her following the publication of a news report about an attack by individuals wielding machetes on a mourning procession in the Qaraghaj neighborhood of Tabriz.
On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, Fatemeh Gholipour posted an image of the news report she published on Rokna on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “I was summoned to the FATA Police for publishing this news.” Shortly after her first tweet, she tweeted again, announcing that after visiting the Tabriz FATA Police, she was “interrogated” and a legal case was filed against her.
The news report that led to Fatemeh Gholipour’s summons was titled “27 Killed and Injured in Machete Attack on Mourning Procession in Qaraghaj Street, Tabriz.” Rokna detailed in the report: “Last night, as usual, a mourning procession started in Qaraghaj Street, Tabriz; however, during the procession, they were suddenly attacked by a group of individuals wielding machetes, resulting in the death of 2 people and injuries to 25 others, including several women and children who were spectators.”
Simultaneously with Rokna, several other Tabriz media outlets published similar reports. However, shortly after the news of the machete attack on the mourning procession in Qaraghaj neighborhood of Tabriz was released, the Tabriz governor and prosecutor denied any connection to the mourning procession, describing the incident as a brawl between “thugs” and refuting the deaths of any citizens in the event.