Despite the passage of one day since Mehdi Beyk’s presence in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar to cover the shopkeepers’ strike, there is still no information about the fate of this journalist.
Zahra Soleimani, a journalist and the wife of Mehdi Beyk, announced on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, via a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account: “My husband, Mehdi Beyk, the political desk editor of Etemad newspaper, went yesterday afternoon to cover the protest by bazaar merchants and has not returned since. There has been no news from him. His mobile phone has been out of reach since 5:30 PM.”
Mehdi Beyk, the political desk editor of Etemad newspaper, has a previous history of detention and facing security and judicial pressures. It appears that this time, the journalist has been detained while covering the strike and protests by Tehran bazaar merchants.
Since December 28, 2025, Tehran’s Grand Bazaar has witnessed strikes by shopkeepers and street protests against the rising dollar exchange rate and the economic crisis in Iran. These protests, which have gradually spread to other areas of Tehran and various cities across Iran, continue into their third day.
Over the past three days, Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and surrounding streets, along with several universities in Tehran and Isfahan, as well as cities including Kermanshah, Qeshm, Malard, and others, have seen anti-government protests by citizens. These demonstrations, which quickly evolved beyond economic grievances, have taken on a political character, with chants against Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and the governing system becoming a prominent feature of the protests.