Dubai TV correspondent ‘could be freed' if no rules were broken: Iran

Dubai The Dubai TV correspondent in Tehran has been arrested and will be freed if he has not violated local rules, the Tehran prosecutor has said.

"No one is missing ... a person has been arrested and if the Ministry of Culture confirms that he had permission to work, then he will be freed," said Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi, in comments carried by AFP, citing the Iranian Mehr news agency, in reference to the 27-year-old Syrian national Redha Al Basha.

The Foreign Press Bureau at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is responsible for issuing work permits for foreign journalists.

It is unclear on what charges the correspondent has been arrested. He is believed to have disappeared around mid-day on Sunday while covering Ashura protests by supporters of the Iranian opposition.

Ahmad Al Shaikh, Managing Director of Dubai Media Incorporated, the parent company of Dubai TV, told Gulf News on Monday that Iranian authorities had confirmed that the correspondent had been detained. He said that the channel was expecting to have the issue resolved by Monday night, but was not available for comment yesterday.

A friend of Al Basha told Gulf News that the correspondent is being held at Evin prison

The UAE Journalists Association also called on the International Federation of Journalists to "intervene to determine the fate" of Al Basha, and work on freeing him. Iranian authorities have been cracking down on protesters contesting the June election victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The government has also imposed a media blackout that has barred foreign journalists from entering the country to report on the street clashes. Correspondents stationed in Iran have also been warned to stay indoors during protests.