45 Iran International journalists and over 300 relatives across 8 countries receive death threats from the Iranian MOIS (the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran)
The threat: ‘Stop reporting on Iran or you and your immediate relatives will die.’
In response to this most crude form of censorship, the legal team for news channel Iran International has today filed an Urgent Appeal with United Nations experts, urging them to take action against Iran over serious risks to the lives and safety of their journalists in seven countries worldwide (the UK, the USA, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Turkey and Belgium), as well as to the safety of their family members, most of whom reside in Iran.
Over the past six weeks, the Iranian authorities have intimidated and threatened 45 journalists and 315 of their family members. They have threatened to kill these journalists and their relatives unless they stop working for Iran International by specific deadlines – which have all now passed.
Background
The Iranian authorities have a long-standing pattern of targeting Iran International journalists and their families. Iran International is a popular and trusted Persian language news channel, headquartered in London, and with bureaus in Washington DC and around the world. It broadcasts internationally, providing a vital source of news and information to people living in and outside Iran. Since its formation in 2017, Iran International journalists have been targeted by the Iranian authorities in retaliation for their reporting. This has included very serious threats, including assassination and kidnap threats against journalists based in the UK, US and Europe; serious physical assaults, including the stabbing of journalist Pouria Zeraati in London in March 2024; online abuse, harassment and hacking; asset sequestration; attacks via Iranian State media; treatment of Iran International as a terrorist organisation; the rounding-up and harassment of family members within Iran.
However, over the past six weeks, since mid-June 2025, the situation has deteriorated rapidly and there is now a real risk to the lives of multiple Iran International journalists around the world and to their family members. Today’s Urgent Appeal details how this is “an alarming and unprecedented escalation” which appears to be linked to the Twelve Day War between Israel and Iran which commenced on 13th June 2025. Without any justification, Iranian authorities immediately began - on a systematic and widespread basis – to accuse Iran International journalists of being spies for Israel, responsible for providing information about Iranian infrastructure to Israeli intelligence.
In this period, 45 journalists and staff from Iran International have been targeted in this six-week period, along with 315 of their family members, from Iran and seven other countries: the UK, the USA, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Turkey and Belgium.
Express and credible threats have been made to kill both journalists and named family members. Deadlines have been given by the MOIS, stating that unless specified journalists stop working for Iran International by the deadline, they and specified named family members will face execution. Those deadlines all expired in the past week, by the end of July 2025.
Iran International’s legal team has filed an Urgent Appeal over this “alarming and unprecedented escalation” in risk to Iran International journalists and families with five UN Special Rapporteurs, responsible for freedom of expression (Ms Irene Khan), extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions (Mr Morris Tidball-Binz), counter-terrorism (Professor Ben Saul), torture (Dr Alice Edwards) and Iran (Ms Mai Sato). Although the Appeal focuses on the 45 new cases, it states:
“The number of targeted journalists continues to rise at a rapid and alarming rate. We anticipate that more will be added within hours of this Urgent Appeal being filed.”
The Appeal urges the UN experts to take immediate and urgent action given the nature and scale of these threats, to protect the lives of the journalists and their families.
Responses
Speaking about today’s Urgent Appeal, Iran International’s General Manager, Mr Mahmouod Enayat, said:
"Iran International journalists, their families in Iran and their families outside Iran are being threatened and harassed as never before in an unprecedented and concerted campaign to force them off air. Hundreds of the relatives of our staff face the continuing threat of detention and prosecution in Iran, and many more are now being threatened with death.
I ask the UN experts to urgently investigate and take action. Iran International will continue to stand by our journalists, targeted for their important work reporting on Iran - which is needed now more than ever."”
Solicitor to Iran International, Mr Mark Stephens CBE of Howard Kennedy, said:
“What we are seeing with the latest targeting of Iran International journalists and their families is the unprecedented upranking of threats from isolated individual cases to credible, serious threats to mass murder hundreds of journalists and their families across the globe. We ask the UN Special Rapporteurs to address this horrifying development with the utmost urgency."
Counsel to Iran International, Ms Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, added:
“This Urgent Appeal is exceptionally pressing, given the nature and scale of the threat faced. 45 journalists, hundreds of family members, across seven countries – and these alarming numbers continue to rise rapidly. We know that the Iranian authorities often take advantage of holiday periods to target their opponents and abuse individuals’ rights. We must be particularly vigilant this August to ensure Iran International journalists and their loved ones are protected. The UN and all impacted States must take robust and swift action to hold Iran to account.”
Tatyana Eatwell and Jennifer Robinson act for Iran International, led by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC (Associate), and instructed by Mark Stephens CBE and Ayesha Salim, Howard Kennedy.
