On World Press Freedom Day, the United States paid tribute to Iranian journalists who continue to face severe pressure from the government as Iran is branded the world's second worst country for jailing writers.

Through a statement on the Farsi account of the US Department of State on the social network X, Washington praised the journalists: "Despite the regime's efforts, the courage of journalists like Niloufar Hamedi, Elahe Mohammadi, and Nazila Maroufian is what brings awareness to the Iranians. We admire these journalists and all the journalists around the world who report under difficult circumstances."

Both Mohammadi and Hamedi were previously detained following their reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in custody of Iran's morality police in 2022—an event that sparked widespread protests. After enduring more than a year of temporary detention, they were sentenced to long prison terms, although the Tehran Appeals Court later converted their bail, leading to their release.

Nazila Maroufian was arrested multiple times since the 2022 uprising, and was sexually assaulted by regime forces in what Iran's Me Too movement calls a systematic weapon against women of sexual abuse and assault.

However, the judiciary has recently opened a new case against them for publishing pictures without the mandatory hijab following their release as crackdowns on the Islamic dress code continue to worsen in what the UN has branded 'gender apartheid' against Iranian women and girls. 

Reporters Without Borders this weekend criticized Iran, where at least 23 journalists are currently imprisoned, for its harsh treatment of the press, ranking 176th of 180 alongside countries like North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea.

Iran remains the second highest country to imprison writers, second only to China, according to the latest 2023 Freedom to Write Index, released on Friday by PEN America, the same as its dismal ranking in last year's report.