Two Anglo-Iranian journalists based in the UK were tipped off by police of a “credible” plan by Iran to kill them, according to their employer, London-based news outlet Iran International.
In a statement on Monday, the Persian-language broadcaster said it was “shocked and deeply concerned” by the alleged death threats, while accusing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of being part of a “significant and dangerous escalation”. of the “campaign” of Tehran, the capital of the country, to “bully Iranian journalists working abroad”.
“Two of our Anglo-Iranian journalists have, in recent days, been notified of an increase in threats against them,” Iran International said in the statement. “The Metropolitan Police has formally notified the two journalists that these threats pose an imminent, credible and significant risk to their lives and those of their families.”
Iran International did not name the journalists for security reasons.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard is a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, founded after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 by order of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization.
Iran International has become a go-to source for many Iranians looking for news about the protests that took place after the death of Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody – a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman detained by the morality police for allegedly failing to wear your hijab correctly.
“These death threats to British citizens on British soil follow several weeks of warnings from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian government about free, uncensored, Persian-language journalism being carried out in London,” the news outlet added in its statement. .
Iran International said other members of its staff were also alerted by police to other threats, according to the statement.
“We hope that the UK government, international governments and other organizations will join us in condemning these horrific threats and continue to highlight the importance of press freedom,” the statement added.
The London Metropolitan Police told CNN that it would not comment on safety issues in relation to any specific individual.
“We advise anyone with concerns about their safety to contact the police so officers can assess the situation and offer safety advice if and when needed,” police said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard did not immediately respond when the CNN got in touch to comment.
International coverage of the protests in Iran
Founded in 2017, Iran International is at the forefront of coverage of recent demonstrations in Iran with exclusive footage of events there. His Twitter account has over a million followers.
The 24-hour news channel has been in the Iranian government’s focus for its coverage before.
In 2018, Iran International released a statement denying connections to any government, whether in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, or Iran’s capital, Tehran, after the British newspaper The Guardian reported that the channel had been financed by a company whose director has ties to the ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In October, Iran said it had sanctioned several media outlets in the UK for “supporting terrorism” and “inciting violence”, state-run news agency Tasnim reported.
The sanctioned entities included what Tehran called “anti-Iranian TV channels” such as Iran International, Tasnim reported.
Journalists in Iran have also come under pressure from the Iranian authorities, including facing arrest and imprisonment.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said that, as of Monday, at least 61 journalists had been arrested in Iran for reasons that included covering the protests, reporting on the deaths of protesters and taking pictures of the demonstrations, according to an organization report.
Meanwhile, in a post on Twitter on Tuesday, the Kurdish human rights group Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “has increased the number of threats against members of Hengaw in recent days” after the death of an Iranian Kurdish woman who sparked a wave of protests in the country on Sunday (6).
Source: CNN Brasil
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