Iran arrests journalist shortly after release: judiciary

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran arrests a reformist journalist after he was released from custody, a prosecutor in Tehran confirms on Tuesday.

Ehsan Mazandarani, who runs the reformist daily Farhikhtegan, was initially detained in late 2015 and sentenced last April to seven years for “acting against national security.”

“The arrest of this convict on security charges is in line with the continuation and completion of his previous sentence,” Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi tells the judiciary-linked Mizan Online website on Tuesday.

Mazandarani was temporarily released in October for health concerns after a hunger strike but was required to return to prison following treatment.

His re-arrest on Monday comes after he was reportedly released in February when unofficial sources suggested that his sentence had been reduced to less than two years.

Another reformist journalist, Hengameh Shahidi, is also reportedly detained in recent days.

Shahidi’s lawyer confirms her arrest to the ISNA news agency on Sunday and says he awaits approval from authorities to work on the case.

Four other journalists are thought to have been arrested around the same time as Mazandarani and have been given sentences ranging from two to 10 years.

— AFP