Re-arrest of Hengameh Shahidi, Journalist and Former Advisor to Mehdi Karroubi

The family of Hengameh Shahidi, a journalist and political activist, informed Radio Farda that she was arrested again on Thursday, March 10, in Mashhad and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran. On Saturday, March 12, Shahidi's family announced in an interview with Radio Farda that she had informed them in a brief phone call about her arrest on Thursday evening in Mashhad and her transfer to Tehran 'by a security flight.' The journalist was in Mashhad to attend her grandmother's funeral. On social media, including Twitter, a handwritten note from her last writing before her arrest has been published. In her note, Shahidi mentioned that she had received 'warnings from some media and individuals close to the government' regarding the possibility of her arrest. She also stated that if arrested, she would go on a hunger strike from the very first moment in protest against the 'illegal practices of restricting journalists and political activists' in Iran. Hengameh Shahidi, who was an advisor to Mehdi Karroubi during the 2009 presidential election, was arrested in early July of that year following the post-election detentions. Reports indicate that she was sentenced to six years in prison but was released after serving about a year of her sentence. This journalist has a history of heart disease, which has raised concerns for her family's well-being following her re-arrest. Meanwhile, on Saturday, March 12, Saman Safarzadeh, a journalist who had been sentenced to two years in prison, was released after serving 16 months of his sentence. This journalist was arrested on November 2, 2015, along with Afrin Chitsaz, Ehsan Mazandarani, and Eisa Saharkhiz. At that time, the IRGC Intelligence accused these journalists of being 'members of a Western government infiltration network,' but Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, and Ali Motahari, a Tehran representative, confirmed that the purpose of these arrests was 'political retribution.' Ehsan Mazandarani was also sentenced to two years in prison in the final court ruling but was released on Saturday, February 12, after serving about 14 months. Eisa Saharkhiz, who remains imprisoned, was recently sentenced to an additional six months in prison for 'spreading falsehoods' against the Supreme Leader in a preliminary court ruling, and this sentence is currently under review in the appeals court. The new prison sentence for Mr. Saharkhiz was issued while he had previously been sentenced to 21 months in prison and was supposed to be released in May 2017. Afrin Chitsaz was also sentenced to ten years in prison in the first court ruling, which was reduced to two years in the appeals court. Ms. Chitsaz was granted leave for knee surgery in July of this year, but the Khabar Online website reported in October that she returned to Evin Prison 'under pressure from the IRGC's security section' after her knee surgery.