Iran detains journalist for French news agency

TEHRAN, Iran — A reporter for the news agency Agence France Presse was detained by Iranian authorities during coverage of events marking the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover, a colleague said Thursday.

The AFP's acting bureau chief in Tehran said Iranian reporter Farhad Pouladi was taken into custody Wednesday as he headed to cover a state-sanctioned rally outside the former U.S. Embassy. Anti-government protesters also clashed with anti-riot police during counter marches not far from the rally.

The acting bureau chief, Jay Deshmukh, said the reporter's whereabouts were not known Thursday.

Iran has imposed wide-ranging restrictions on media that include bans on firsthand reporting of street demonstrations and other events not authorized by authorities.

Reporters for domestic and international media outlets have been jailed by Iran since the crackdowns imposed after disputed presidential elections in June.

Last month, Maziar Bahari, a Newsweek journalist, was freed on bail after nearly four months in prison. Bahari, a dual Canadian and Iranian citizen, was allowed to leave the country to join his pregnant British wife in London.

Newsweek said Thursday that she gave birth to a baby girl on Oct. 26.

___

Nov 05, 2009 - 1:19 p.m. EDT

Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.