British-Iranian journalists based in the UK have been warned by police of imminent and credible death threats from Iran, prompting a call from the House of Commons for the UK to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.
Volant Media, the London-based broadcaster of Iran International TV, said two of its journalists had been notified by the Metropolitan police that the threats “represent an imminent, credible and significant risk to their lives and those of their families”.
It said other staff members had been warned by the Met of separate threats.
The broadcaster said in a statement: “These lethal threats to British citizens on British soil come after several weeks of warnings from the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and Iranian government about the work of a free and uncensored Farsi-language media working in London.”
The channel continues to cover anti-government protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.
The Conservative backbencher Bob Blackman raised the issue in the Commons on Tuesday as he urged the government to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
Blackman said: “Thousands of Iranians have been arrested for just demonstrating their support for people who have been murdered. Now I’ve been supplied with a long list of people who have been sentenced to death for just protesting.
“And even worse now, British-Iranian reporters who are now sited in the UK have been issued with credible threats by the police that the IRGC threatens their lives. What more does the IRGC have to do before we proscribe them in their entirety?”
David Rutley, a Foreign Office minister, replied: “We’ve been clear about our concerns with the IRGC’s continued destabilising activity throughout the region and the UK maintains a range of sanctions that work to constrain that destabilising activity.
“The list of proscribed organisations is kept under constant review but we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.”
A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “We do not comment on matters of protective security in relation to any specific individuals. We would advise anyone with concerns over their safety to contact police so that officers can assess the situation and offer any safety and security advice as and where necessary.”
In its statement, Volant Media added: “These threats to life of British-Iranian journalists working in the UK marks a significant and dangerous escalation of a state-sponsored campaign to intimidate Iranian journalists working abroad.
“Britain is the home of free speech. Iran International stands as part of that tradition, proud to serve the 85 million people of Iran with independent, uncensored information. The Islamic Republic of Iran, and specifically the IRGC, cannot be allowed to export their pernicious media crackdown to the UK. The IRGC cannot be allowed to act abroad with impunity.
“We hope that the UK government, international governments and other organisations will join us in condemning these horrific threats and continue to highlight the importance of media freedom.
“We would like to thank the Metropolitan police for their considerable efforts in keeping journalists safe.”
The BBC quoted the Iranian government as dismissing the alleged threats as “ridiculous and baseless”.
