Arrest of Former Presenter of 'Manoto' TV in Iran

Several news websites in Iran, including 'Jahan News' affiliated with Alireza Zakani, a member of parliament, have reported the 'arrest' of Mansoureh Hosseini, a 'former' presenter of 'Manoto' TV. Ms. Hosseini's family and the Manoto network have not responded to these reports. No report has been published regarding the exact date of Ms. Hosseini's arrest. On the third of Ordibehesht, photos of this 'former' presenter at the Fajr Film Festival were published, and conservative websites protested her presence at the festival. Following this, officials from the Ministry of Culture, including Hojjatollah Ayubi, the head of the Cinema Organization, announced that she was not a guest of the Fajr Film Festival and attended as an ordinary citizen. Subsequently, the ILNA news agency reported that Ms. Hosseini had 'resigned' from Manoto TV 'two months ago' and returned to Iran. Saeed Montazeralmahdi, the spokesperson for the police, stated in a press conference on Saturday that there was no judicial order for her arrest upon her return to the country and that police only check entry and exit based on judicial announcements. Hours after Mr. Montazeralmahdi's interview, Jahan News reported Ms. Hosseini's arrest. Following that, the 'Entekhab' website also published a report on the arrest of this 'former' presenter of Manoto TV. Before joining Manoto, Mansoureh Hosseini worked at the Hamshahri and Tehran Emrooz newspapers. In recent years, several Iranian journalists who collaborated with Persian-language media abroad, including Bahman Darolshafaee, Serajeddin Mirdamadi, and Saeed Razavi Faqih, have been arrested upon returning to Iran. Bahman Darolshafaee was released on bail after about three weeks of detention. Serajeddin Mirdamadi was released after serving two years in prison on parole, but Saeed Razavi Faqih remains imprisoned in Rajai Shahr prison. Jahan News had also claimed in early Ordibehesht that Sabri Hassanpour, spokesperson for the 'National Congress of Iranians for the Rescue of Iran' and presenter of the Persian-language 'Simaye Rahai' in the Netherlands, was arrested in Tehran. Mustafa Azizi, a writer and producer for radio and television, Hossein Nourani Nejad, a member of the Participation Front, Sajedeh Arab Sarakhi, a reformist political activist, and Kazem Barjasteh, a member of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign, are among other citizens who have been imprisoned after returning to Iran in recent years.