Iran: UN experts alarmed by escalating threats against Iran International media workers and their families
Press releases
Special Procedures
21 August 2025
GENEVA -- UN experts* today condemned Iran's intensifying repression of Iran International journalists worldwide, as well as the growing intimidation of their family members living in Iran - particularly since hostilities with Israel in June 2025.
"We are deeply concerned by credible threats to the lives and safety of 45 Iran International journalists and staff and 315 of their family members in seven countries: Belgium, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States," the experts said.
Several UK-based journalists have reportedly required police protection, and some have been forced to move into safe houses or even relocate abroad. Reports suggest that journalists have been followed, had tracking tags attached to their cars, and their cars repeatedly broken into. Women journalists have faced threats of death and sexual violence on social media and instant messaging services, some receiving hundreds of messages a day.
The experts were alarmed that the latest phase of repression has aggressively targeted journalists' family members in Iran. They have been interrogated, placed under surveillance and threatened with arrest and even death. Interrogators have demanded that family members pressure their relatives to stop working for Iran International or become informants for Iran - particularly with regard to their alleged associations with Israel.
"This campaign is an attempt to silence and censor critical reporting and courageous public interest journalism by a fragile Government that appears afraid of legitimate criticism," the experts said. "Such intimidation violates both freedom of expression and media freedom and may have a chilling effect on other journalists. It also deprives the public of their right to information. Civic space in Iran is already severely limited, and transnational repression further impedes those seeking to expose human rights violations."
Since hostilities with Israel in June 2025, Iranian authorities have systematically accused Iran International journalists of spying for Israel. In July, Iran's parliament introduced a bill that expands the offence of espionage — a capital crime — to include activities linked to information dissemination and media work, such as contact with foreign and diaspora media outlets.
In July 2025, fourteen States denounced the escalating threats by Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people, including journalists, in their territories.
"This unprecedented wave of repression violates the rights to life and physical and mental security of the journalists and their family members, and could constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. It also undermines their rights to work and reputation," the experts said. "Gendered threats against women journalists have a further discriminatory impact."
The experts expressed concern about Iran's threats to impose unjustified financial and travel sanctions on the journalists and their families, which could infringe the rights to freedom of expression and the media, freedom of movement, and freedom from arbitrary interference in the home.
"We urge Iran to immediately stop threatening and intimidating journalists and their families, and obstructing healthy public debate in democratic societies," they said.
"Iran must investigate all such threats, prosecute alleged perpetrators, including State officials and any other people directed by the State, and prevent violations from reoccurring."
In recent years, UN experts have repeatedly urged Iran to stop harassing Persian-language journalists for doing their jobs, including BBC News Persian.
The experts are in contact with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on these issues.
*The experts:
- Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism
- Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
- Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
- Mai Sato, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstić (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi, Working Group on discrimination against women and girls
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/
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