Iran has arrested the Tehran bureau chief of Japanese public broadcaster NHK and sent him to a prison known for holding political inmates, according to media reports.
US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda named the journalist as Shinnosuke Kawashima, reporting on Tuesday that he was transferred to Evin Prison a day earlier.
Kawashima was being held in Ward 7 of the jail, where political prisoners are usually incarcerated, a source told the radio.
Iran International, a Persian-language TV channel based outside of Iran, did not name the journalist but also said that he was moved to Evin.
The exact date of the journalist’s arrest and the charges against him remain unclear, Iran International reported on its website.
NHK did not confirm the reports.
“We at NHK always act with the safety of our staff as our top priority. At this time, we are unable to comment further,” an NHK spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.
Japanese government spokesman Masanao Ozaki told reporters that a Japanese citizen had been detained on January 20 but declined to give more details.
“The Japanese government has confirmed that one Japanese national was detained by the local authorities in Tehran, Iran, on January 20,” deputy chief cabinet secretary Ozaki said.
“Since this detention case came to light, the government has been strongly urging the Iranian side to secure the early release of the individual concerned,” Ozaki said.
Source: Insider Paper
