An Iranian female journalist has reported that she has been fired following her disclosure that she was threatened and harassed by a Special Unit officer after being released from prison, where she was serving a two-year sentence for an interview she published with the father of Mahsa Amini, whose death while in police custody for a dress-code violation sparked months of nationwide protests.
Nazila Marofian wrote on Twitter that she was "dismissed from the editorial office" following the publication of her account of the incident where she wrote that a Special Unit officer had harassed her, making comments such as "What's with the hair and look? Of course, because you're a prostitute, you dress like this."
"After prison, two things happened to me. Continuous threats by my interrogator and being expelled and not allowed to work in editorial offices. All this because I am just a protesting critic," Marofian wrote in a series of tweets on June 15. Marofian was granted temporary release in January.
She added that such treatment is intended to drive people to "suicide" or to "flee" the country. Despite this, she emphasized, "As long as I'm alive, I will write and stay in my country."
Marofian was arrested by security forces on November 29, 2022, following the publication of her interview with Amjad Amini, the father of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini whose death in September 2022 sparked widespread protests across the country.
In the interview, Amini revealed that the deputy of the Legal Medicine Organization -- an official body of the Judiciary that provides expert witness reports for courts -- told him explicitly that when writing about the cause of his daughter's death "I’ll write whatever I want, whatever is in the interest of the country."
The LMO report subsequently tried to shift the blame for the tragedy to Amini's health. But supporters say witnesses saw her being beaten when taken into custody while her family says she had no history of any medical issues and was in good health at the time of her detention.
In February 2023, Marofian was sentenced without a proper court hearing or defense by the Revolutionary Court for publishing the interview.
The subject of harassment and assaults by police officers on women in Iran, which are regularly raised but rarely investigated, have been documented during the protests over Amini's death. In addition to the existence of videos showing such incidents, human rights activists and several political prisoners have testified about witnessing or experiencing attacks by police.
Last November, CNN published an investigative report about the sexual assault and rape of some detainees from the protests while they were being held in prisons across Iran.
Since Amini's death, Iranians have flooded onto the streets across the country to protest against a lack of rights, with women and schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support in the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said that at least 527 people have been killed during the unrest, including 71 minors, as security forces muzzle dissent.
Iranian Whistle-Blower Journalist Says She Was Fired For Disclosing Harassment By Officer
Iranian journalist Nazila Marofian (file photo)