Iran Protests: Female Journalists Targeted in Spate of Arrests

02/23/2023

Female journalists in Iran have been targeted by security forces since anti-government protests began in September, activist groups say.

"We're seeing an unusual number of female journalists being arrested because what sparked the protests was the mandatory hijab law and the death of a young woman because of gender discrimination," Yeganeh Rezaian, a researcher with the Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), told the BBC. Reporters Without Borders says 17 female journalists have been arrested since the start of the uprising, the highest number in a five-month period in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Media in Iran are largely controlled by the state, and even so-called "independent" newspapers are heavily censored. Journalists inside Iran are barred from covering the protests or the funerals of protesters who have been killed.

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