Female Journalists Arrested in Iran
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
Three female journalists, Melika Hashemi, Saidi Shafii, and Mehrnush Sarei, were reportedly arrested in Iran in the past two days, according to local media.
The arrests come amid months of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who had been arrested by morality police for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress code for women.
At press time there is no further details about the arrests.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York, more than 90 members of the media have been arrested in the wave of nationwide protests that began in September. About half of those detained have since been released on bail.
There are massive restrictions on news reporting. In a ranking of press freedom by the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Iran is one of the last on the list.
