A prominent Iranian press cartoonist was arrested at work on on Monday by local authorities, his lawyer said on Tuesday, joining a growing list of journalists, artists and activists detained on security charges.
The cartoonist, Hadi Heidari, was arrested on Monday and sent to Tehran's Evin prison, his lawyer, Saleh Nikbaht, told Reuters in a telephone interview from Tehran.
"He was convicted two years ago for his cartoons and was sentenced to one year in jail. The authorities had a different interpretation of his cartoons than he had," said Nikbakht, noting Heidari had already served about a month of the original sentence.
It's unclear what prompted the arrest. Heidari recently published cartoons showing solidarity with Beirut and Paris after they were attacked by the Islamic State last week, however an acquaintance who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the arrest was not linked to this as Tehran has strongly condemned both attacks.
Regardless of what the reasons for the arrest are, it comes in a country which is notorious for being one of the worst jailers of journalists in the world, according to Radio Free Europe Radio Libery. Five journalists were arrested two weeks ago, while Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian remains in jail in Tehran under suspicion of espionage.
It also comes in the midst of a crackdown partly inspired by warnings from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamemi against Western "infiltration" of Iran's economic, culture and politics, according to The New York Times.
"Iran's jails are already packed with journalists who are facing spurious charges for the simple act of voicing criticism or independent views," said Committee to Protect Journalists Middle East and North Africa coordinator Sherif Mansour.
