Artin Ghazanfari, a news photographer, remains in custody in Tehran’s Greater Prison under inhumane conditions, now in his fifth month of temporary detention, despite suffering from heart disease.
Ghazanfari is afflicted with “heart failure, high blood pressure, and asthma.” According to an informed source who spoke to HRANA, judicial authorities continue to oppose his temporary release even though more than four months have passed since his arrest.
Security forces arrested Artin Ghazanfari at his home on Monday, 29 Dey 1404 (19 January 2026). During the arrest, agents searched his residence and confiscated several pieces of his professional equipment. Ghazanfari is a follower of the Baha’i faith.
His arrest took place amid a new wave of security and judicial crackdowns on journalists and media outlets that began following anti-government protests in Iran. In the first month of 2026, Iran experienced one of the most unprecedented information blackouts in the history of the Islamic Republic. In response to the spread of anti-regime protests, the Islamic Republic launched a fresh wave of judicial and security measures against journalists, media outlets, and independent voices. International internet access was cut off, and widespread disruptions affected domestic communication networks, including mobile phones. These conditions continued at an intensified level roughly one month later, following the outbreak of war between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition.
According to the annual report of the Defenending Free Flow of Information Organization (DeFFI), Iranian journalists and media are enduring an unprecedented period of security pressure, judicial persecution, and deliberate disruption of their professional activities. conditions the organization describes as a “military-style campaign against the free flow of information.” The report states that in 2025 alone, at least 225 journalists or media outlets faced judicial or security actions; 25 journalists or media directors were sentenced to a combined total of more than 30 years in prison and 293 million tomans in fines; at least 148 new judicial cases were opened against journalists and media; and eight media outlets were shut down.