Sarvenaz Ahmadi

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Iranian security forces arrested Iranian freelance journalist Sarvenaz Ahmadi twice between September and November 2022 as part of a mass crackdown on anti-state protests over the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, after morality police arrested her for allegedly violating the country’s conservative dress law.

Ahmadi is a freelance reporter covering labor union issues, politics, and forced child labor for newspapers including the semi-independent social and political news website Meidaan. She has also written for the state-run economic SMT newspaper. 

She covered the demonstrations following Amini’s death on Twitter and was first arrested and released shortly after they began, according to a source with knowledge of the arrest who spoke on the condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal. CPJ was unable to determine the exact date she was initially taken into custody. 

CPJ reviewed Ahmadi’s tweets after the start of the protests, but her account has since disappeared from the social media platform. 

Security forces rearrested her at her Tehran home on November 6 along with her husband, freelance journalist Kamiar Fakour. Security forces raided their home, confiscated their personal devices, and took them to an undisclosed location, the couple’s lawyer Mohammad-Ali Kamfirouzi said in a tweet

CPJ was unable to determine where Ahmadi is held, whether she is facing any charges, or the status of her health in custody. 

Authorities arrested dozens of journalists in Iran as the protests over Amini’s death spread across the country. Several 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.