Last month, the Islamic Republic warned that Iran International would “pay the price” for carrying videos of the protests. A hardline cleric had also called on the Iranian government to “use the possibilities on the international stage” to confront the channel, which is funded by Saudi Arabia.
“Shocked and deeply concerned”
In its statement, the channel said: “Iran International, the UK-based independent Farsi news channel, is shocked and deeply concerned by the credible threats to the lives of its journalists from the IRGC. “Two of our British-Iranian journalists have been informed in recent days of an increase in threats against them. The Metropolitan Police have now formally notified both journalists that these threats pose an immediate, credible and significant risk to their lives and the lives of their families. Other members of our staff have also been told directly by the Metropolitan Police about separate threats.” The channel said its journalists were routinely abused on social media, but “these life threats … mark a significant and dangerous escalation of a state campaign of intimidation against Iranian journalists working abroad.” The channel added: “The Islamic Republic of Iran and in particular the IRGC cannot be allowed to export its destructive media repression to the UK. The IRGC is not allowed to act abroad with impunity. “We hope the UK Government, international governments and other organizations will join us in condemning these appalling threats and continue to highlight the importance of media freedom. “We would like to thank the Metropolitan Police for their significant efforts to keep journalists safe.” A spokesman for the Met Police said: “We do not comment on protective security matters in relation to specific individuals. We would advise anyone concerned for their safety to contact the police so officers can assess the situation and offer any safety and security advice as and where appropriate.”
