Iranian freelance journalist Omid Faraghat was arrested on June 29, 2026, after answering a notice from the security police in the northern city of Karaj, where he was based.
After reporting to the police, authorities transferred Faraghat to the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office and later to Karaj Central Penitentiary, where he was put under a temporary detention order, according to news reports and his cousin, Mohammed Faraghat, who spoke to CPJ.
Mohammed told CPJ that after his cousin appeared before the security police, he was taken to the Revolutionary Court, where Deputy Prosecutor Mohammed Anbari referred his case to Branch 21 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office. Mohammed said the Investigating Judge Kouhestani issued a temporary detention order, and Faraghat was transferred to the Central Penitentiary of Karaj.
According to Mohammed, authorities accused the journalist of "acting against national security" and "disturbing public opinion." The charges, he said, stemmed from Faraghat's writings and opinions, adding that "his writings and ideas are not to their liking."
Faraghat works as a freelance journalist and regularly comments on public affairs through his X and Instagram account. He has also written articles for Iranian newspapers and news websites, although he is not affiliated with any single media outlet.
On June 28, a day before his arrest, Faraghat wrote on X that he had been summoned to appear before Iran's security police the following day. Authorities arrested him after he complied with the summons.
Faraghat had faced previous judicial proceedings related to his journalistic work. In November 2025, Branch 36 of the Tehran Province Court of Appeals sentenced him to pay a fine of 20 million tomans (approximately US$114) in lieu of serving a three-month prison sentence in a previous case. In August 2025, the Karaj Revolutionary Court acquitted him of charges of "propaganda against the regime" and "disturbing public opinion" in a separate case.
CPJ emailed the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York for comment but did not receive a response.