Iranian authorities have re-arrested prominent journalist Keyvan Samimi who called for the formation of a National Salvation Front months after his release from prison following two years of incarceration, announced his family.
The family said the authorities did not provide any information about his place of detention or the party that arrested him.
In an unprecedented step, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network announced Samimi's arrest on the news ticker at the bottom of the screen. The news read that Samimi was arrested on charges of association with the opposition Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MEK).
A few days after his arrest, AFP quoted a family member saying that he was arrested Thursday, adding: "We still have no further information on the (security) service responsible for his arrest or his whereabouts."
Samimi's arrest came on the eve of the "How to Save Iran" conference on Friday and Saturday through the "Clubhouse" application.
It was organized by a group of activists calling for a peaceful and gradual transition to a secular regime.
Over two days, dozens of political and civil society activists at home and abroad discussed transitioning from religious rule to a secular democratic political system.
Samimi, 74, said in the video recording, which was broadcast on the first day of the conference, that saving Iran from the situation and the ruling authoritarian power is possible through force, calling for dialogue and collective action to activate the power of the street and establish a coalition.
Referring to the various trends in Iran, Samimi urged Iranian activists to show a spirit of acceptance of others and pluralism.
He said a national salvation front could be formed, uniting the largest number of protesters moving towards national harmony to confront the ruling body and remove tyranny.
And the Washington-based Center for Human Rights in Iran tweeted last Thursday that Iran's prisons are filling up with political prisoners again.
"Dissident journalist Keyvan Samimi, who was recently released from jail, has been re-arrested. In January, Samimi, 74, was summoned to the Revolutionary Court in Tehran but refused. He has serious health problems," the organization added.
Samimi's family reported in late January that the authorities released him after serving a prison sentence since December 2020 on conspiracy charges against national security.
The authorities allowed Samimi to return home in February 2022 due to health issues.
According to the government-run Mehr Agency, he was re-arrested on suspicion of carrying out activities against national security in May of the same year.
After his release again in January, Samimi met several activists and politicians, most notably former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
The family explained that the Public Prosecutor in Tehran issued a new indictment against Samimi, accusing him of "association against the security of the country."
In December, the journalist sent a message from inside his cell in support of the protest movement that took place in Iran in the wake of the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini.
Samimi was imprisoned several times before and after Iran's 1979 revolution.
