3 Iranian female journalists arrested over the weekend
Tehran, Jan 23 (EFE).- Three female journalists were detained by Iranian authorities over the weekend, during the ongoing protests that have gripped the country since September, local media reported on Monday.
Melika Hashemi, Saeeda Shafiei and Mehrnoosh Zarei Hanzaki were arrested and transferred to the Evin prison in the capital, where many of those arrested for protesting have been imprisoned, said the journal Etemad.
Saeeda Shafiei, a writer, journalist and activist was arrested by security forces at her home, her husband Hasan Humayoun said on Twitter, adding that he was “deeply worried” about his wife’s health.
“My wife dearer than my life was arrested today by security agents at home,” he tweeted on Sunday.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, Mehrnoosh Zarei Hanzaki was also detained at her home on Sunday.
It added that “the reason and the security institution responsible for her arrest” were “still unknown.”
The reason for the arrests of the journalists has not yet been disclosed by the authorities.
HRANA estimates that at least 79 journalists and media practitioners have been arrested since the start of the social unrest in mid-September over the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly not wearing her headscarf according to the Islamic dress code.
Among those arrested are Nilufar Hamedi of the Shargh newspaper, the journalist who reported the arrest and subsequent death of Amini, and Elahe Mohammadi of the HamMihan newspaper, who covered the funeral of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman.
Both have been accused of working for the CIA and according to Amnesty International face a possible death penalty.
Iran Human Rights, an Iranian NGO based in Oslo, estimates that nearly 500 have been killed in the unrest, including 64 minors, while about 20,000 have been arrested.
The social movement has lost momentum significantly since the Iranian regime began carrying out executions of the protesters. EFE
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