The Islamic Republic has arrested another journalist, bringing the number of detained reporters and photographers over the ongoing protests to well over 70. 

Mehdi Beyk, the political editor of reformist Etemad newspaper, was arrested on Thursday. 

Earlier in the week, the regime’s security forces arrested two other journalists -- Mehdi Ghadimi and Milad Alavi, both working for reformist media outlets. 

On Sunday, regime’s agents raided the house of Mehdi Ghadimi’s father in Karaj, west of Tehran, and arrested the journalist who used to work for several dailies in Iran including Etemad and Shargh, both ‘reformist’ publications.

Tehran Journalists Association says at least 73 journalists and photographers have been arrested in the past four months, around the time when 22-year-old Mahsa Zhina Amini was killed in police custody triggering the current wave of antigovernment protests. 

Niloufar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi, Nazila Maroufian, the three journalists who broke the news of her death, covered her funeral and interviewed her father were also arrested. 

The Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists said in mid-December that at least 57 journalists had been arrested in Iran since September. The international NGO also noted that only 30 of the 57 detained journalists have been reportedly released so far.

There are no exact figures on the number of people arrested during the protests, but some sources say nearly 20,000 people have been detained, more than 500 killed by security forces and many received serious injuries, such as losing their eyes when they were targeted by shotguns.