Watchdog

Saba Azarpeik, an Iranian journalist working for several reformist publications, has been arrested in Tehran.

Reports say Azarpeik was taken away by security forces earlier on May 28 from the offices of the reformist "Tejarat-e Farda" weekly in the Iranian capital.

The reason for her arrest is not clear.

The outspoken Azarpeik was also arrested in January 2013 in a crackdown on several newspapers in which several reporters were arrested.

Dozens of journalists and bloggers remain behind bars in the Islamic republic, often described by media groups as one of the worst jailer of journalists in the Middle East.

On May 10, journalist Seraj Mirdamadi, who had returned to Iran in the wake of the election of President Hassan Rohani, was arrested.

A court in Baku has sentenced Azerbaijani opposition blogger Abdul Abilov to 5 1/2 years in prison.

Abilov's lawyer, Xalid Bagirov, told RFE/RL that his client was found guilty on May 27 of drug possession.

Bagirov said that he will appeal the sentence, which he called "unjust."

Abilov, 31, is known for his criticism of the Azerbaijani authorities. He was arrested in November 2013.

His sentencing comes one day after the chairman of an election watchdog in Azerbaijan, Anar Mammadli, and two associates were sentenced to several years in jail on charges of tax evasion, illegal business activities, and using their office to falsify election results.

Azerbaijani authorities have been criticized for cracking down even more severely on dissent after President Ilham Aliyev's reelection to a third consecutive term last year.