Iran’s new “reformist” president’s first 100 days have been marked by a brutal suppression of the press, dashing any hopes that his administration would ease the regime’s iron grip on media freedom.

A damning report released by the Defending Free Flow of Information in Iran (DeFFI) reveals just how far President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government has gone to silence the press. Since taking office in July, his administration has orchestrated legal attacks against 78 journalists and news outlets, while expanding the powers of Iran’s already formidable security apparatus.

The numbers tell a grim story. Ten journalists now sit in Iranian prisons – up from eight when Pezeshkian took power. Tehran’s Courts have processed 32 criminal cases against members of the press, handing down combined sentences of more than 13 years behind bars.  

September saw the harshest crackdown yet. Confrontations between journalists and state security forces spiked 30% compared to August with 24 journalists facing government reprisal through 28 separate reported incidents.

Perhaps nothing better illustrates Iran’s war on journalism than the case of Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi. Their “crime” was reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 after being tortured for not failing to obey Tehran’s draconian mandatory hijab law. Hamedi was sentenced to seven years in prison while Mohammadi received six years on charges of “collaborating with the hostile US government.”

While Pezeshkian promised to withdraw government complaints against journalists, state entities have instead filed 38 new legal actions. DeFFI also documented 74 violations of human rights during investigations with security forces resorting to torture against journalists who dared to question the state’s narrative.

For those who hoped Pezeshkian might loosen the regime’s chokehold on information, these past 3 months have provided a harsh but unsurprising  reality check. The faces may have changed, but Iran’s determination to control the press remains as ruthless as ever.