Iran’s crackdown on protests over the death of young Kurdish Mahsa Amini has systematically sought to silence women by arresting an unprecedented number of women journalists, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Wednesday.

“As the Iranian regime continues its crackdown on the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, nearly half of the journalists arrested recently are women, two face the death penalty,” the NGO said. Said.

“The increasing detention of women journalists symbolically demonstrates the Iranian regime’s intention to systematically silence women’s voices,” the organization said in a statement.

Iran has been affected by protests that erupted after 22-year-old Amini died in police custody on September 16. The young woman was detained for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women.

This week, the Iranian government accused Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohamadi, the first two print journalists to bring Amini’s death to public attention, of “propaganda against the system and conspiracy to act against national security”. These charges could carry the death penalty.

RSF said it was “deeply concerned about the fate of these journalists, who risked paying a heavy price, including the death penalty, for having the courage to expose a truth the authorities tried to suppress.”

They should be released immediately and unconditionally,” he said.

According to RSF, at least 42 journalists have been arrested across Iran since the protests began. Eight have been released so far. The Paris-based organization added that women represent 15 of the 34 professionals currently in detention.