Iran: Unprecedented violence and censorship marks another week in Iran, at least seven more women journalists arrested

Location: Iran, Tehran   
Date: October 4, 2022

Photo Credit: Agence France-Presse, Getty Images

We are extremely disturbed by the growing violence against women journalists in Iran, who are one of the primary target of arrests and detentions. As the situation in Iran escalates with confrontation between protesters and the state, hundreds of other activists, lawyers and journalists have been targeted and arrested following a retaliation that was triggered by the death of a Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini about three weeks ago. Last week we reported 8 women journalists imprisoned while this week another 7 have been arrested by security agencies, bringing the total number of recent arrests to fifteen.

In the absence of transparency from the state we are concerned about the location and treatment these journalists are experiencing under custody. The government has also not issued any statement that may reveal under what premises these journalists are being taken by authorities. 

Recent update from the Committee to Protect Journalists confirms that last week, the head of Iran’s judiciary approved a policy allowing police to make unjustified arrests, otherwise called “preventive detentions”.

Following journalists are added to the previous list of arrested women journalists published by CFWIJ, bringing the known total to 15 Iranian women journalists currently under state custody.

Elmira Bahmani, freelance reporter, commentator, and columnist on women’s rights issues, was arrested on September 26 in the northern city of Rasht in Gilan province. The reason for Bahmani’s arrest is unknown and it is not clear whether or not she took part in any demonstrations in the city over the past 10 days. 

Batol Balali, a reporter with the state-run Pasargad weekly magazine, was arrested on September 22 in the southern city of Sirjan, in Kerman province while covering protests in her hometown. Ashkan News a local news website based in Kerman, reported that she was taken to Sirjan central prison.

Samira Alinejad, a reporter with the state-run local news website SirjanRavi News, was also arrested while covering the same September 22 demonstration in the southern city of Sirjan, according to Ashkan News. She is currently detained in Sirjan central prison. 

Mehrnoosh Tafian, a freelance politics reporter, was arrested in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, in the majority Arab province Khuzestan, according to IranWire and CPJ sources.

Aria Jaffari, an award-winning photojournalist for Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, was arrested on September 28 in the central city of Isfahan. 

Mobin Balouch, a freelance reporter, was arrested earlier on September 29 in the city of Baluchistan in the southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province. 

Safiyeh Qarabaghi, a freelance reporter who covers women’s issues in her hometown of Zanjan, was arrested on October 1, according to a tweet by her husband, who said she was taken to an undisclosed location. 

Journalists in hiding are reporting back to us, but asking for their identities to remain anonymous. N.L, a woman journalist on the ground replied back to our inquiries saying that at this time, in Iran all press is under threat. 

“It's not just women journalists who are in danger in Iran but all journalists. Even international and non-Iranian journalists are not welcome there.” 

“It's not just even the journalists in Iran but the ones outside Iran who work for other news platforms, Iran International, BBC Farsi, and VOA to name a few, that have been threatened many times because their families are still in Iran.”

“We know that all political prisoners, specifically journalists, undergo physical and mental torture in the Islamic Republic's prisons. We're worried, terrified, to be accurate, for their safety.”

CFWIJ strongly condemns the targeting and arrests of women journalists and calls for the immediate release of all journalists detained as the only course of action for Iranian authorities to fulfill their obligation to uphold and protect the fundamental right of freedom of expression for all Iranian citizens. 

We are appalled by street footage being shared on social media of police in armored uniforms dragging away and slamming on the ground women protesters by their hair and clothes, while they try to shield one another. We call on Iranian leaders to understand that threats, abductions, violence of the killing of their own citizens will not solve the problems afflicting their nation. The protests and the anger of these citizens will not go away as they refuse to disappear or give up their right to freedom.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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