Iranian award-winning photojournalist sentenced to 15 years in prison

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iranian photojournalist Yilda Moayeri has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, according to a post on her Instagram account. Moayeri said the same court had issued the ruling in absentia about a week earlier, a notification she first shared on the X platform. The opposition-linked outlet Emtedad, citing sources, said the charges against her include collaborating with foreign media organizations to strengthen the Israeli and U.S. regimes and spreading despair on social media during wartime conditions. Specific case files or formal charge sheets were not publicly released. Moayeri's home was raided by security forces in February, during which her cameras and several electronic devices were seized and her phone line was cut off by order of the Intelligence Ministry. She has documented major protest movements and social developments in Iran over the years. In past work, Moayeri received the Courage in Journalism Award from the U.S.-based International Women's Media Foundation. No further details on her case or any planned appeal were immediately available.