November 15, 2021, Tehran - Freelance photojournalist Rahil Mousavi was arrested on November 9, 2021 over unspecified charges and has remained in state custody since. In complete violation of her civil liberties, Rahil’s location remains unknown. The country has a long and worrying history of targeting and silencing women journalists by subjecting them to long prison sentences and the state’s reluctance to disclose Rahil’s location or the charges against her only adds to human rights concerns. The Coalition For Women In Journalism urges the Iranian authorities to disclose the details of Rahil’s arrest and ensure her immediate release. 

Rahil was arrested from the southwestern city of Khorramshahr, in the majority Arab province of Khuzestan. None of her personal affiliates have been made aware of the reasons for the arrest or the charges she has been booked under. Her location is being kept under wraps making it impossible to establish any contact. State authorities have also refused to divulge any information to the media.

Rahil runs an instagram page with upwards of five thousand followers where she regularly posts photographs and reports regarding the poverty-stricken section of Iranian society. Rahil also frequently covers the climate concerns that threaten these regions. Her work is considered too dangerous to find space in mainstream Iranian media and this is not the first time she has been taken into custody. In December 2016, Rahil was arrested by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while she was covering street protests over access to water.

This is not an isolated incident, earlier CFWIJ reported on the prison sentence given to journalists Mehrnoush Tafian and Narges Mohammadi for demanding greater civil rights and offering coverage to protest demonstrations. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attitude of the Iranian state towards principles of free press in general and women journalists in particular.  Neither demanding greater rights nor covering a protest should be criminalized. To arrest a journalist without cause and subsequently hold her in custody in an undisclosed location, effectively cutting off her contact with the outer world, is a gross violation of her rights. We have extensively covered the actions of the Iranian regime when it concerns civil liberties like freedom of press and expression and the ever accelerating pace of the state's draconian actions is a cause of great concern. We demand that Rahil Mousavi is immediately released.