On Saturday evening, February 24, 2024, Farda-e Eghtesad resumed its operations after being suspended for 20 days. Despite the media outlet’s return, Ali Tasnimi, a radio announcer for Farda-e Eghtesad, and Nikan Khabazi, the technical director and studio manager, remain detained at Shapour Police Detention Center in Tehran.
According to sources from the Defending Free Flow of Information, out of the five journalists arrested during the raid on Farda-e Eghtesad, Ali Mirzakhani, the editor-in-chief, was released on February 8 (19 Bahman), and Behzad Bahmannejad, the deputy editor, along with Mehrdad Asgari, a video journalist, were released on February 15 (26 Bahman). These journalists were released without posting bail or collateral. However, despite the resumption of Farda-e Eqtesad activities, Nikan Khabazi and Ali Tasnimi remain detained without formal charges.
A source close to the DeFFI commented on the ongoing detention of Khabazi and Tasnimi: “The Economic Security Police initially entered the Kian building on a mere suspicion, which then escalated into a crisis they couldn’t manage. Now, the Economic Security Police are under pressure from higher authorities to justify the suspension of Farda-e Eghtesad and the arrest of its journalists. They have not found any evidence to support the claims surrounding the shutdown of this media outlet. The continued detention of Nikan Khabazi and Ali Tasnimi seems to be an attempt to build a case against them. Even the verbal confrontation and protest by Ali Tasnimi during the raid on the Farda-e Eghtesad newsroom do not justify their illegal detention.”
The source also noted that the mobile phones, tablets, and laptops of Farda-e Eghtesad staff, which were confiscated during the raid, have not been returned. Additionally, several other electronic devices belonging to the newsroom remain in the custody of the Economic Security Police.
On February 5, 2024 (16 Bahman 1402), in an unprecedented event, officers from the Tehran Economic Security Police stormed the *Farda-e Eghtesad* newsroom, detaining all staff and locking them inside the Kian building at Argentina Square, Tehran. The officers also confiscated the journalists’ mobile phones and prevented anyone from leaving the building.
This unorthodox action by the Economic Security Police, which involved locking the journalists inside the newsroom, continued for 14 hours. After the families of *Farda-e Eghtesad* journalists gathered in front of the Kian building and the incident gained media attention, some journalists were gradually released.