In brief
- Photojournalist Majid Saeedi was arrested on 9 September 2026, and CPJ reported on 28 September that his whereabouts are unknown.
- On 27 September, journalist and analyst Abbas Abdi was sentenced to one year in prison, and the daily Etemad was suspended for two months, CPJ reported.
- CPJ also said it was following the 20 September arrest of Amanj Mohammadpour.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on 28 September 2026 that journalist and political analyst Abbas Abdi was sentenced on 27 September to one year in prison and that the daily newspaper Etemad was suspended for two months. CPJ also reported that photojournalist Majid Saeedi, arrested on 9 September, has not been located, and that Amanj Mohammadpour was arrested on 20 September.
A wider pattern
In August 2026 CPJ said that nine journalists were known to be imprisoned in Iran, among them Reza Valizadeh, serving 10 years, and that Yalda Moaiery had been sentenced to 15 years. The same report describes an Intelligence Ministry list of “hostile” media that includes BBC Persian and Voice of America.
CPJ’s counts depend on date and method: it said at least 15 journalists were behind bars on 3 March 2026 and that nine were known to be imprisoned in August. We cite dates for that reason. The war involving Iran began on 28 February 2026, according to CPJ and IHRNGO.
What we don’t know
Why Saeedi was arrested, where he is held, and whether he has access to a lawyer. We did not find a public statement from Iranian authorities on these cases in the sources we reviewed; we will add one, with its source, if it appears.
What you can do
Read CPJ’s report and follow its Iran coverage for updates, and share the facts with the source and date attached.
Sources: CPJ, 28 Sep 2026 · CPJ, Aug 2026 · CPJ, 3 Mar 2026
Sources and corrections. Figures are attributed to the named source and date. If you spot an error or a newer source, write to us via the Contact page and we will correct this post.