Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iranwire – Family members of journalists and other staff from the Iranian financial news website Farda-e-Eghtesad gathered outside the outlet’s offices in Tehran on the evening of February 5, following reports their relatives were being detained and locked down in the building.
Earlier in the day, journalists Maryam Shokrani and Zeinab Rahimi announced on social media that staff and reporters had been detained inside their offices.
The news was confirmed by the Modara news website, which reported that family members visiting Farda-e-Eghtesad’s office found that the journalists’ mobile phones and other equipment had been confiscated.
Modara quoted a relative of a detailed journalist as saying that the media outlet employs about 30 journalists, and that three people were allowed to leave the building by the evening.
The media outlet’s social media account has been inactive since the reported detentions.
The reason for the detentions is unknown, and it’s also unclear which security institution is detaining the journalists.
No official statement has been issued regarding the detentions, which have drawn condemnation from other journalists.
Among them, Milad Alavi stated that entering an office, confiscating property and detaining journalists without notification “constitutes a violation of the law and an attack on press freedom.”
