On February 12, 2026, Morteza Khazri, publisher and editor-in-chief of the local sports news Yaran Sabz and a sports journalist based in the port city of Bandar Ganaveh in Bushehr Province, was arrested by the Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was released on bail on February 16.
Khazri was detained after publishing an Instagram post on a local page titled “Yaran Sabz,” in which he described recent protests in Ganaveh and the funeral of 31-year-old Karim Heydari, who was killed by live gunfire during demonstrations.
According to one of his friends, who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, his detention came after he was pressured to remove the post and refused to delete it.
Khazri is the father of a 14-year-old son with a disability who is unable to walk and relies on his father for daily care and mobility.
CPJ’s email to the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York in February 2026 requesting comment did not receive a response.