Iranian journalist detained months after sister's arrest amid unrest

TEHRAN, Iran

A female Iranian journalist working with a local reformist newspaper in Tehran has been detained, according to her family.

Elnaz Mohammadi, a reporter with Persian-language Hum-Maihan newspaper, was held on Sunday after appearing at a court, her brother-in-law Saeed Parsaee said on Twitter.

"Elnaz Mohammadi, the social desk editor at Hum-Maihan newspaper, was arrested an hour ago after appearing at the Evin courthouse," he tweeted.

Elnaz is the twin sister of Elaheh Mohammadi, also a journalist with the same newspaper, who was arrested on September 29 last year amid countrywide protests.

Her arrest, details of which remain unclear, has not been confirmed yet by the country's judicial authorities or state media.

Iran has been rocked by sweeping protests in recent months, triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

Thousands of people have reportedly been arrested during the unrest, including journalists Mohammadi and Nilofar Hamedi.

Hamedi, a reporter with the Persian-language Shargh newspaper, was arrested on September 22 after reporting on Amini's death. Mohammadi was arrested a week later.

In a joint statement in last October, Iran's intelligence ministry and the intelligence wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused Mohammadi and Hamedi of being "foreign agents".

Referring to the two journalists as NH and EM, the statement alleged that they were “primary sources of news for foreign media”.

Iranian authorities have accused the Western governments and media of "fomenting unrest" in the country.

Last month, judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said the two journalists were arrested on charges of "gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country's national security and propaganda activities".

According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 33 journalists are still in detention in Iran after being arrested in the wake of protests following Amini's death.

Last month, the international body urged the Iranian authorities "to free all journalists and media workers imprisoned and restore the free flow of information in the country".

Earlier Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei agreed to pardon thousands of prisoners, including those arrested in recent protests.