Iranian Photojournalist Yalda Moaiery Faces 15-Year Prison Term, Defies Regime

Yalda Moaiery, a veteran Iranian photojournalist, was handed a 15-year prison sentence in absentia by an Iranian Revolutionary court for her documentary work. She agreed to a Zoom interview from Tehran, asserting she would rather face jail than serve as a propaganda tool. Moaiery’s images of women confronting the morality police, including a 2017 Tehran University photo later posted by Donald Trump, have been cited by the regime as evidence of foreign collaboration.

After relocating to California, she returned to Iran following the 2025 Twelve-Day War airstrikes and has since been barred from photographing officially, though she persists covertly. Her appeal has not yet been heard, and she reports being able to move freely but remains under constant surveillance. Moaiery’s case highlights the broader crackdown on journalists and the ongoing “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.