Iranian Kurdish reporter Mostafa Nemati was detained on October 29, 2024 after he responded to a summons from a court inside Tehran’s Evin prison to begin serving a 40-month prison sentence. He writes for the state-run economic weekly magazine Tejarat-e-Farda, where he covering corruption and politics in relation to Iran’s economy.
Nemati was convicted of “spreading propaganda against the state,” "false news,” and “religious insult,” according to the exiled-based Human Rights News Agency (HRANA), which did not report the date of sentencing. According to a source familiar with a case, who spoke to CPJ in the condition of anonymity due to the fear of reprisal, his prosecution stems from reporting on human rights and economic issues that was critical of the government. He was not taken into custody at the time.
Nemati was first arrested and held in Evin prison for three weeks in May 2024, when his newborn son was only 13 days old, the exiled-based Persian language news website, IranWire reported.
Nemati is imprisoned in ward 8 of Evin prison, Tehran. His mental health has been deteriorating in prison, according to reports.
CPJ emailed Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York city in late 2024 for comment on the case of Nemati and other imprisoned Iranian journalists but received no response.