A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of a young woman who had been detained for violating the country's conservative dress code, in Tehran, Iran.
(Picture: AP)A journalist who helped break the story of Mahsa Amini - who died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for “unsuitable attire” - is being held in solitary confinement.
Niloufar Hamedi is one of several reporters detained during the country’s worst protests since 2019.
She reported the story and published a photograph of the young woman’s parents taken in a hospital corridor which spread rapidly online.
Niloufar Hamedi, journaliste iranienne pour le quotidien réformiste Shargh a été arrêtée aujourd’hui par la police. Elle avait publié la photo de la famille de #MahsaAmini à l’hôpital. #Iran pic.twitter.com/OMivsF5b8T
— Farid Vahid (@FaridVahiid) September 22, 2022
Her case has been taken up online with Harry Potter author J K Rowling among those highlighting her arrest.
She said: “The regime is attempting to silence Iranian women by any means possible. It must be held accountable for its human rights violations.”
It comes as protests continue following Amini’s death, following several blows to the head, with demonstrations across more than a hundred towns and cities in Iran.
Ms Hamedi’s husband, who said he had briefly spoken to her on the phone, said she was being interrogated but had not been informed of the charges against her.
She was arrested last week after the couple’s home was raided by agents from Iran’s Ministry of Information.
The United Nations Secretary-General has called on Iran to refrain from using “unnecessary or disproportionate force” against protesters.
Antonio Guterres said through a spokesman that authorities should swiftly conduct an impartial investigation of Amini’s death.
“We are increasingly concerned about reports of rising fatalities, including women and children, related to the protests,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement.
“We underline the need for prompt, impartial and effective investigation into Ms. Mahsa Amini’s death by an independent competent authority.”
Protests have spread across at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran. State TV reported at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the demonstrations began.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it documented the arrests of at least 23 journalists as the clashes between security forces and protesters heated up.
CPJ in a Wednesday statement called on Iranian authorities to “immediately” release arrested journalists who covered Ms Amini’s death and protests.
