Editors’ note: Since the publication of CPJ’s 2022 prison census, CPJ has learned that Vahid Shademan was released on bail before December 1, 2022. Read CPJ’s latest report on jailed Iranian journalists here.
Iranian security forces arrested Iranian photojournalist Vahid Shademan, on October 27, 2022, in his hometown Qasreshirin in western Kermanshah province.
Shademan is a freelance photojournalist covering local news for various news outlets. He is also the head of a local photojournalist association, according to a source familiar with Shademan’s work who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.
The source said Shademan was covering national protests in his hometown prior to his arrest. Demonstrations began in Iran following the September 16 death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, after morality police arrested her for allegedly violating the country’s conservative dress law.
The exile-run Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that Shademan was taken to an unknown place. CPJ was unable to determine where the journalist is held, what, if any, charges he faces, or the status of his health in custody.
Authorities arrested dozens of journalists in Iran in relation to their coverage of the demonstrations after Amini’s death.
CPJ emailed Iran’s mission to the United Nations in late 2022 for comment on the cases of imprisoned Iranian journalists but received no response.