Iran re-arrests female journalist who interviewed Mahsa Amini's father

The authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran have detained journalist Nazila Maroufian, who once interviewed the father of Mahsa Amini, 22, whose death in detention sparked months of demonstrations across the country. 

Nazila Maroufian, 23, reportedly left the Evin jail in Tehran, the capital of Iran, last Sunday. She also shared a picture of herself without wearing a headscarf, according to a report by the news agency AFP. 

However, she was sent to Qarchak Women's Prison outside of Tehran after being detained once again. Rights organizations have frequently criticized the situation, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Her re-arrest had been confirmed by a family source.

Maroufian once interviewed the father of Mahsa Amini. The journalist also published the news on the website Mostaghel Online in October 2022. Mahsa Amini passed away in September of last year in the custody of the morality police. The authorities arrested Mahsa Amini because she wore a loose hijab. However, Amini died in the custody of the morality police. 

Mahsa Amini’s father claimed in the interview that the Iranian authorities had misled him about his daughter's death's circumstances. The 22-year-old's death, according to the authorities, was caused by health issues. However, human rights activists claimed that the morality police tortured Amini at the detention centre. She allegedly took a blow to the head while being held at the detention centre, according to her family and human rights activists.

Maroufian was initially detained in November of last year for allegedly publishing the news. Despite being later freed, she announced in January of this year that she had received a sentence of two years in prison with a five-year suspension for promoting propaganda against the legal system of the country. Rights groups claimed that the journalist was sent back to Evin prison again in early July.