Iran protests: Death row reporter Mehdi Beik arrested

Mehdi Beik's phone, laptop and other belongings were also seized

An Iranian journalist who interviewed families of protesters who had been sentenced to death has been arrested, his wife and Iranian media say.

Mehdi Beik was detained on Thursday night, reformist newspaper Etemad, which Mr Beik works for, said.

The reasons for his arrest are not known, but it comes amid an ongoing crackdown on anti-government protests.

Iran has been rocked by months of protests since the death of an Iranian Kurdish woman in police custody.

Protests erupted in September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, "improperly". They quickly spread across the country, becoming the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since its inception in 1979.

In a tweet on Friday, Mr Beik's wife, Zahra, said he had been "detained by agents of the Ministry of Information and his cell phone, laptop and belongings were seized".

Colleagues and journalists expressed shock and anger at his arrest, posting expressions of support on social media.

Iran-based journalist Elham Nadaf tweeted: "They have killed journalism in this country and now they are mutilating its corpse!"

While Etemad diplomatic correspondent Sara Masoumi tweeted: "You [Beik] will return to the newsroom with your head held high."

The mother of a 15-year-old detainee who was released after Mr Beik highlighted his case, also praised the detained journalist. "The kindness he extended to me and [my son] Amirhossein Rahimi will never be forgotten. He is an example of an honourable person. I will shout your name as long as I breath," she tweeted.

Mr Beik is the head of the politics desk at Etemad. According to US-funded Radio Farda, he is the third journalist whose arrest has been reported in the past week. At least 73 journalists and photojournalists have been arrested since the protests began, pro-reform Faraz news site reported.

• Who are the protesters facing execution?

Iranian authorities have tried to stamp out the protests with mass arrests, the use of live fire and through intimidating those they perceive to be linked to protesters or in some way support them. They have also accused foreign forces of fuelling the unrest.

So far, at least 516 protesters have been killed, including 70 children, and 19,262 others arrested, according to the foreign-based Human Rights Activists' News Agency (HRANA). It has also reported the deaths of 68 security personnel.

Two protesters have been executed and some 12 others sentenced to death, according to AFP news agency. Half are awaiting retrial, it says.