Editors’ note: Since the publication of CPJ’s 2022 prison census, CPJ has learned that Elmira Bahmani was released on bail before December 1, 2022. Read more about jailed Iranian journalists here.
Iranian security forces arrested Elmira Bahmani on September 26, 2022, in the city of Rasht in Gilan province and held her in the female ward of the city’s Lakan Prison.
Bahmani is a freelance reporter, columnist and commentator covering local Rasht news and gender and sexuality for news websites including independent news and commentary site Meidaan.
According to a source familiar with Bahmani’s case who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity due to the fear of reprisal, on the night of her arrest the journalist was covering protests following the September 16 death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality police for allegedly violating the country’s conservative dress law.
Bahmani has not been permitted to contact her family or hire a lawyer for herself since her arrest and her family is not aware of any potential charges facing her, the source said. CPJ was unable to determine the status of the journalist’s health in custody.
Authorities arrested dozens of journalists as the protests over Amini’s death spread across the country. Several of them were later released on bail.
CPJ emailed Iran’s mission to the United Nations in late 2022 for comment on the cases of imprisoned Iranian journalists but received no response.