Union of Journalists in Tehran: More than 100 Journalists Arrested Since Start of Protests

A woman looks at a picture of Iranian reporters Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi posted on Twitter, in Nicosia on November 2, 2022. (AFP)
A woman looks at a picture of Iranian reporters Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi posted on Twitter, in Nicosia on November 2, 2022. (AFP)
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Union of Journalists in Tehran: More than 100 Journalists Arrested Since Start of Protests

A woman looks at a picture of Iranian reporters Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi posted on Twitter, in Nicosia on November 2, 2022. (AFP)
A woman looks at a picture of Iranian reporters Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi posted on Twitter, in Nicosia on November 2, 2022. (AFP)

The Union of Journalists in Tehran said on Tuesday that more than 100 journalists have been arrested in Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 that triggered unprecedented protests.

"Journalism in the country is going through a dark era," said Akbar Montajabi, the head of the Union of Journalists in Tehran, noting that over 100 journalists have been arrested over the past 11 months.

"However, even with these arrests, the flow of information remains unstoppable and finds its path like water," he added.

In an article published in Sazandegi newspaper, Montajabi said the era of journalistic suppression continues with an increasing number of journalists being arrested, dismissed, censored or forced into exile.

He insisted that "journalists are not adversaries" to the country.

"Those who steadfastly remained, holding the torch for freedom, are not foes. They do not cooperate with hostile governments; they are an integral part of the people. Journalists mirror the pain endured by the nation," he wrote.

Mass demonstrations erupted in September 2022 following the death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurd Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly breaching the Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Meanwhile, more than 90 journalists have been arrested or summoned over the past 10 months in different cities across the country, according to the reformist Shargh daily, quoting a report by a local committee that supports detained journalists.

Most have been released on bail or granted amnesty, but the fate of 11 journalists, including six detained and five others awaiting verdicts, "is still unknown," said the report published on Iran’s National Journalists’ Day, celebrated on August 8.

Among the detained journalists are Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who covered Amini’s death and have been detained since September.

Hamedi broke the news of Amini’s death and Mohammadi wrote about her funeral.

Hamedi works for the reformist newspaper Shargh, while Mohammadi works for the reformist newspaper Ham-Mihan.

The two journalists had been indicted on charges of acting against national security, and creating "propaganda against the system."

Hundreds of people including security forces were killed and 20,000 arrested over their participation in what the authorities have described as "riots" fomented by the West.

The popular protests presented the biggest challenge to the ruling regime in 43 years.



Pope Had a Peaceful Night After Pneumonia Diagnosis, Vatican Says

People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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Pope Had a Peaceful Night After Pneumonia Diagnosis, Vatican Says

People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Pope Francis spent a peaceful fifth night in hospital and ate breakfast on Wednesday, the Vatican said in its latest update on the pontiff's fragile health.

Francis has the onset of double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, complicating treatment for the 88-year-old pope who was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14.

Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.

The Vatican had said previously that the pope had a polymicrobial infection, which occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved, adding that he would stay in hospital as long as necessary to tackle a "complex clinical situation".

The pope has been plagued by ill health in recent years, including regular bouts of flu, sciatica nerve pain and an abdominal hernia that required surgery in 2023. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed.

All the pope's public engagements have been cancelled through Sunday and he has no further official events on the Vatican's published calendar.