Iran Arrests Three Female Journalists

Iranian women wearing head cover in Tehran - AFP/File
Iranian women wearing head cover in Tehran - AFP/File
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Iran Arrests Three Female Journalists

Iranian women wearing head cover in Tehran - AFP/File
Iranian women wearing head cover in Tehran - AFP/File

Iranian authorities have arrested three female journalists in the past two days, local media said Monday, amid months of protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

"In the past 48 hours, at least three female journalists, namely Melika Hashemi, Saideh Shafiei and Mehrnoush Zarei, have been arrested in Tehran," reformist newspaper Etemad quoted the Tehran journalists' union as saying.

Shafiei is a freelance journalist and novelist, while Zarei writes for various reformist publications and Hashemi works for an outlet named Shahr, according to local media.

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, AFP reported.

It estimated that about 80 journalists have been arrested since the start of the unrest in the country four months ago.

No details were given on the reasons for the latest arrests.

In late October, more than 300 Iranian journalists signed a statement criticising the authorities for "arresting colleagues and stripping them of their civil rights", local media said at the time.



Syrian Pro-Assad Fighter Jailed For Life in Germany for Crimes Against Humanity

Cells in the basement of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate Branch 251, also known as Al-Khatib branch, in the capital Damascus. (AFP)
Cells in the basement of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate Branch 251, also known as Al-Khatib branch, in the capital Damascus. (AFP)
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Syrian Pro-Assad Fighter Jailed For Life in Germany for Crimes Against Humanity

Cells in the basement of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate Branch 251, also known as Al-Khatib branch, in the capital Damascus. (AFP)
Cells in the basement of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate Branch 251, also known as Al-Khatib branch, in the capital Damascus. (AFP)

A German court on Tuesday convicted a Syrian man of crimes against humanity and jailed him for life over offences committed during his time fighting for former President Bashar al-Assad.

The court in the city of Stuttgart found the former militiaman guilty of crimes including murder and torture after a trial which involved testimony from 30 witnesses.

Shortly after the outbreak of anti-Assad protests in early 2011, the man joined a pro-government militia in the southern town of Bosra al-Sham, according to AFP.

He proceeded to take part in several crimes against the local population with the aim of "terrorizing" them and driving them from the town, the court found.

German authorities have pursued several suspects for crimes committed in Syria's civil war under the principle of universal jurisdiction, even after Assad's ouster last December.

In 2022, former Syrian colonel Anwar Raslan was found guilty of overseeing the murders of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at the notorious Al-Khatib jail in 2011 and 2012.

That was the first international trial over state-sponsored torture in Syrian prisons and was hailed as "historic" by human rights activists.