Iran news editor suspended over coverage of protests triggered by Mahsa’s death

TEHRAN: The editor-in-chief of the reformist daily Etemad, Behrooz Behzadi, has been banned from engaging in any press activities for a period of one year by Iranian authorities. This decision comes in response to the newspaper's coverage of last year's nationwide protests.

Etemad reported the ban on Saturday, stating that Behzadi was accused of disseminating false content. The prosecutor's office acted upon a complaint filed by a Tehran branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

According to Etemad, the complaint was related to the newspaper's reports on the October "kidnapping" of a scientist and the "bans and arrests" of artists who supported the protest movement triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini.

In his late 70s, Behzadi was quoted in the Saturday edition of the newspaper, revealing that he was initially sentenced to imprisonment but was ultimately given a one-year suspension from work.

The protests that shook Iran followed the death of 22-year-old Amini, an Iranian Kurd, in custody. She had been arrested for an alleged violation of strict dress rules for women.

These demonstrations resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives, including dozens of security personnel, and led to the arrest of thousands of individuals who were labeled as participants in "riots" by the officials.

In January, Etemad published a report estimating that around 80 journalists were among the thousands who were arrested during the period of unrest.