Three female journalists arrested in Iran amid Mahsa Amini protests

Iranian authorities have arrested three female journalists in the past two days, local media said Monday, following months of protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

The journalists are Melika Hashemi, Saidi Shafii and Mehrnush Sarei, all female, who were arrested on Sunday and there have been no further details about the arrests.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York, more than 90 members of the media have been arrested in the wave of nationwide protests that began in September. About half of those detained have since been released on bail.

There are massive restrictions on news reporting. In a ranking of press freedom by the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Iran is one of the last on the list.

The latest wave of protests in Iran was triggered by the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in mid-September.

The morality police had arrested her for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes. Mahsa Amini died in police custody on September 16.

In recent weeks, street protests have eased again. Many women now express their protest through acts of civil disobedience, such as by ignoring the headscarf law.