The Iranian journalist who was the first to report on the case of the Kurdish Jina Mahsa Amini is being honored by the German Journalists' Association of Hesse. Niloofar Hamedi had made public the fate of the 22-year-old Iranian woman, who died in police custody after being arrested for violating Islamic dress codes. On Twitter, Hamedi shared a photo of Mahsa Amini's parents in the hospital hugging and crying on their daughter's deathbed. The picture went around the world, and together with the subsequent reporting, it triggered protests against the mullahs' regime in Tehran not only nationwide but also internationally.

Time magazine ranks Hamedi and her colleague Elaheh Mohammadi, who covered Amini's funeral, among the 100 most influential people of the year. Both journalists have been imprisoned in the notorious Evin prison since September 2022 and face the death penalty.

On behalf of Hamedi, Ingo Zamperoni, presenter of the "Tagesschau", will receive the award from DJV Hessen. He has also taken on a godparenthood for the imprisoned colleague. The Feather for Freedom of the Press is awarded to unjustly imprisoned or persecuted journalists. The DJV Hessen awards it annually on 3 May, International Press Freedom Day.