Iran sentences photojournalist to 15 years in prison for sharing images of repression abroad

On Monday, August 31, the Iranian judiciary confirmed the verdict that was handed down on August 8 against Yalda Moaiery: 15 years in prison. The 45-year-old Iranian photojournalist is accused of "collaborating with foreign media with the aim of strengthening the Zionist regime and the United States" after taking photographs and sending them abroad since the war waged by Israel and the US against Iran began on February 28. Yalda Moaiery (undated portrait) photographed, at Behesht-e-Zahra Cemetery in Tehran, friends and relatives of victims of the repression during the protests of January 8, 2026. HOSSEIN SALMANZADEH Despite the shock of the verdict, the photographer remains defiant. Late on August 31, Maoiery wrote on X: "The regime (...) does not allow us to be ourselves or to work! It wants us to live like mere tourists. Well, no, Mr. President of the Islamic Republic! That is out of the question. We are the vigilant eyes of society!" In early August, she was shocked to discover that a court had sentenced her in absentia. The hearing had taken place in July without her knowledge, as she had not been informed. To summon her, authorities tried to reach her by cell phone, even though her SIM card had previously been blocked by those same authorities – a punitive measure increasingly used by the regime against its critics. As a result, she was unable to attend the hearing, "which shows once again how little justice exists in Iran," she said. You have 75.34% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.