DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Amnesty International says Iran arrested more than 7,000 people last year in a "shameless campaign of repression."

The new report published on Thursday comes as the U.S. has released an American anchorwoman for Iranian state television after she was detained on a material witness warrant in Washington.

Iranian officials and state media have widely condemned the arrest of Marzieh Hashemi.

However, Amnesty and the Committee to Protect Journalists have noted Iran's widespread arrest and harassment of journalists.

Amnesty says Iran arrested at least 50 media workers in 2018. It says at least 20 "were sentenced to harsh prison or flogging sentences after unfair trials."

Hashemi, meanwhile, sent a message to supporters on Thursday.

She said in Farsi: "I have a lot of things to say about what I have suffered."