For more than 20 years, Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery has documented life in Iran, the protests, repression, and war with her camera. Today, she faces repression herself and asks not to be forgotten.

Earlier this month, an Iranian court sentenced her to 15 years in prison, accusing her of “activities in the interest of the Zionist regime against national security.” Moaiery is expected to appeal the verdict.

Even though she risks spending years in Iran’s notorious prison system, she says she will continue to bear witness to the reality in her country for as long as she can.

“I am not willing to work as a person within that propaganda framework. That is the main problem. But all my interviews, all my photographs, everything I have done as a photojournalist… for them it is a crime. These are also the charges against me, including the fact that I am speaking with you,” she said.

Moaiery has closely followed developments in Iran for years and reported from the ground even during the major anti-government protests. In a previous interview, she said the scale of the demonstrations was unprecedented in her 25-year career as a photojournalist.

“I saw huge crowds of people on the streets. Hundreds of thousands of people, entire families, children, the elderly… everyone was there,” she recounted.

According to human rights organizations’ assessments, the crackdown on protests and the killing of thousands of people deeply affected the morale of Iranian society.

“It was one of the saddest periods in our history. I have never experienced such a feeling. People are so hopeless and sad. The question they ask each other is: what can we do?” she declared.

During the clash between Iran, the US, and Israel, the photojournalist continued working from Tehran despite internet shutdowns and communication obstacles. At the start of the war, she said some Iranians hoped the conflict would lead to the regime’s downfall.

“I have to be honest. People want the war to continue because they have tried many peaceful ways to change this regime,” she expressed at that time.

Six months later, however, her stance was different. “No, not at all. During the war I knew many people who wanted it to continue, but these days everything has changed,” Moaiery said.

According to her, the main concern for citizens now is the economic situation. “Most are thinking about the economic situation. People cannot afford even the most basic needs. The real war is here. The real war now is the economy,” she stressed.

Moaiery thinks the war has not weakened the Iranian regime, but on the contrary has strengthened it. “Unfortunately, stronger. We are facing the worst version of the Islamic Republic I have ever seen,” the photojournalist said.

“I am a child of the Islamic Republic. I was born a few years after the regime took power, but I have never seen anything like this in my life.” She added that the regime has become “much angrier” and “much harsher.”

Moaiery is directly experiencing the authorities’ pressure. Just a few hours before her latest interview, she was threatened that her home would be searched and her phones seized if she communicated again with international media.

“A few hours ago they threatened me that, if I spoke again with anyone about this issue, they would come to my house, search it again, and take my phones,” she recounted.

Despite the threats, the photojournalist declares she has no intention of backing down. “Of course I am afraid of what might happen. Fifteen years is a whole lifetime. But this is the risk I have accepted throughout my life to tell the truth, to be an independent journalist and photojournalist.”

“I do not give up. I have no regrets,” she added.

Yalda Moaiery’s case has become another testament to the pressure exerted on independent journalists in Iran.

She believes that the international community’s attention can influence not only her case but also the support for other journalists living under authoritarian regimes.

“As a journalist, as an independent journalist, we have no kind of weapon. We only have the media and the truth,” she expressed.

Moaiery also drew attention to the cases of other journalists and prisoners of the Iranian regime, noting that international media coverage had increased pressure for their release.

As she faces the possibility of a multi-year sentence, the photojournalist hopes her story will not be forgotten.

At the end of the conversation, she delivered a short and powerful appeal: “Don’t forget me.”

The post Don’t Forget Me” / Iranian Photojournalist Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison: I Won’t Give Up and I Have No Regrets appeared first on Albeu.com.