Security forces searched their house and took them to an unknown location where they were permitted one phone call to their families a day after they were detained but nothing else was heard from Yeganeh or her husband until her release in early October. On July 28th, several days after their arrest, the husband of the photojournalist was released on bail without being charged. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported, “the released individual is in a very poor psychological state and has isolated himself from others since his release. Over the past few days, the photographer also contacted her family; she was reported to be in considerable distress and gave no information about who had arrested her, where she was being held or the charges against her.”

On August 20th, the photojournalist was also released on bail. None of the arrests were recorded with the judiciary or the prosecutor’s office and on July 25th, Iran’s Prosecutor General, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, told reporters he was never notified about the detentions. While the authorities have remained silent on the arrests, hardline media in the country have made a number of accusations against the four people detained, including accusing them of spying and taking part in the making of the “Happy” video clip.

Yeganeh Salehi, an Iranian national, requested permanent residency in the US on the basis of her husband having dual nationality. A month after the arrests, her parents issued a statement saying “Yeganeh and Jason love Iran and have always tried to portray it realistically in their reports.” It is widely thought the couple’s arrest has nothing to do with them being journalists.

“Since Mr. Rouhani’s election in June 2013, elements of the Iranian intelligence services, the judiciary and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards have sought to undermine him and his agenda of pragmatism and reform. For the sake of his credibility abroad, as much as for the cause of justice, he needs to speak out on the behalf of these journalists and on behalf of the many others who have been unjustly incarcerated,” wrote The Iran Project on August 4. “Hard-liners are especially angry about President Rouhani’s attempt to reintegrate Iran into the international community. They disapprove of concessions they say the president is ready to make in the current negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program; confronting the West, they assume, is the way Iran can achieve regional importance. By contrast, Mr. Rouhani and his team believe that cooperating with the West is more likely to get Iran the respect it craves.”

After two and a half months in custody, Yeganeh Salehi was released in early October but her husband Jason Rezaian remains in detention. No official explanation was given for her arrest.