Acclaimed Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery has received a 15-year prison sentence. The sentence was handed down on Iran's National Journalist Day, Saturday, August 12, 2026. Moaiery's work has consistently documented dissent and the lives of women in Iran, often bringing her into conflict with authorities.
The sentence was imposed under a new law enacted after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in 2025. Iranian authorities state this legislation aims to combat espionage and cooperation with hostile states. Moaiery was not given formal case documents at Tehran's Revolutionary Court, with details copied by a friend from a charge sheet.
This case reflects a broader trend of tightening restrictions on media freedom in Iran. The Iranian judiciary has faced criticism from human rights groups for its lack of transparency. Such procedures are seen as an effort to silence defendants and demonstrate the judiciary acting as a state agent.
Roya Boroumand, executive director of the U.S.-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, stated that withholding case documents is an effort by the Islamic Republic to “silence” defendants. She added that it showed the judiciary “blatantly” acting as a state agent. The spokesman for Iran's United Nations Mission in New York did not respond to a request for comment.
Moaiery's accusations include giving interviews to media outlets deemed hostile by authorities. She is also accused of providing photographs to organizations linked to the U.S. and Israel. Moaiery confirmed sharing photographs showing damage from air strikes in Iran with CNN in March 2026.
The intelligence wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) raided her home during anti-government protests in January. They confiscated her phone, laptop, and other electronic equipment. IRGC officers returned after U.S. air strikes on Iran this year, again seizing her belongings, including cameras she had owned since childhood.
Moaiery has 10 days to appeal the sentence under the 2025 espionage law. This appeal period is half the time allowed under previous legislation. She has faced imprisonment for her work before, including a two-year term in Gharchak Prison.
In 2022, Moaiery spent three months in jail and received an eight-year sentence for covering the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprisings. These protests erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. An amnesty later reduced that sentence, but the case continued to expose her to questioning.
Reporters Without Borders reports that 16 journalists have been detained in Iran this year. Moaiery's work has primarily focused on women, documenting their struggles and moments of dissent. Her images include early detentions of women by morality police and a student protesting economic conditions at Tehran University.
Despite the prospect of further imprisonment, Moaiery remains committed to her work. She stated, “None of these sentences, however, has ever caused me to abandon my path, even for a moment. I have continued to document and show the realities of Iranian society.” She added, “I don't have anything to lose. The regime took everything from me and the only thing that I still have is my truth and honesty as an observer.”