More than 80 journalists arrested in Iran as a result of the protests, including the director of the newspaper ‘Etemad’

6 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

More than 80 journalists and media workers have been arrested in Iran over the last few weeks, including Mehdi Beyk, director of the reformist daily ‘Etemad’, as confirmed by the newspaper itself.

His arrest has taken place as a result of the strong protests that have been registered in the country since mid-September after the young Mahsa Amini died in custody after being arrested for violating the Islamic dress code.

His wife has explained in statements to the media that he was arrested on Thursday and that both his mobile phone and notebook have been confiscated by the authorities.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has indicated in a statement released this Friday that the total number of journalists arrested amounts to more than 80 and has warned that the “possibility of practicing journalism in the country is seriously restricted “.

The authorities in Iran have been under increasing pressure since the protests began almost four months ago. Some of the detained journalists are in Tehran’s Evin prison, which is also home to Nilufar Hamedi and Elahé Mohammadi, who first published Amini’s story.

The measures implemented by the government as a result of the demonstrations have led Iran to the top of the list of countries with the highest number of imprisoned journalists, as reported by CPJ itself.