Trial Of Journo Linked To Iran Protests Held Behind Closed Doors

The Iranian journalist who covered the death in custody of the icon of anti-regime protests, Mahsa Amini, went on trial on Monday behind closed doors.

The funeral of the 22-year-old Kurd was covered by Elaheh Mohammadi in the Kurdish city of Saqqez, where protests began in September.

Amini died while in the custody of Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code, which unleashed a wave of protests across the country for months.

"The trial of Elaheh Mohammadi went well. The date of the next session will be announced by the court," her lawyer, Shahabeddin Mirlohi, told ILNA news agency on Monday.

As a result of their coverage of Amini's death, Mohammadi, a reporter for the pro-reform Hammihan newspaper, and Niloufar Hamedi, a journalist for the Sharq newspaper, have been accused of colluding with hostile powers. Under Islamic law, this charge carries the death penalty.

On Monday, Hammihan daily claimed legal procedures were being broken, calling the court's decision illogical.

In October, Iran's intelligence ministry and the IRGC accused Mohammadi and Hamedi of being CIA agents.

At a Tehran hospital where Amini was in a coma, Hamedi took a photograph of her parents hugging each other. Hamedi posted the image on Twitter as the first sign that all was not well with Amini in a chilling warning to her imminent death.

Hamedi's trial is scheduled to start on Tuesday.

Human rights groups have repeatedly called for a public trial for the two journalists, but the Islamic Republic has ignored them.