Anti-hijab protests have been ongoing since September 2022. (Representative)
Tehran:
Iranian authorities have arrested three female journalists in the past two days, local media said Monday, amid months of protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Iran has been gripped by protests since September 16. This came as a result of the death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who had been arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Authorities say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested in what they label as “riots” fueled by the “enemies” of the Islamic Republic.
“In the past 48 hours, at least three female journalists, namely Melika Hashemi, Saideh Shafiei and Mehrnoush Zarei, have been arrested in Tehran,” the reformist newspaper Etemad was quoted as saying by Tehran’s journalists’ union.
The paper said the three women had been transferred to Evin Prison, where many of those arrested in connection with the protests are being held.
It is estimated that about 80 journalists have been arrested since the unrest in the country began four months ago.
No details were given about the reasons for the latest arrests.
Shafiei is a freelance journalist and novelist, while Zarei writes for various reformist publications and Hashemi works for an outlet called Shahr, according to local media.
At the end of October, more than 300 Iranian journalists signed a statement criticizing the authorities for “arresting colleagues and depriving them of their civil rights,” according to local media at the time.
(This story has not been edited by NewsMadura staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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