UK summons top Iranian diplomat for Tehran’s alleged threats against journalists
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday that he had summoned Iranian representative earlier in the day for Tehran’s “serious threats” against journalists in the United Kingdom.
“The UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations. I summoned the Iranian representative today to make clear that we do not tolerate threats to life and intimidation of any kind towards journalists, or any individual, living in the UK,” Cleverly was quoted by his office.
“The Iranian regime has responded to widespread internal protests with the suppression of freedom of expression and the targeting of media outlets operating in Iran. More than 40 journalists have been arrested and detained,” he added.
The summoned Iranian official is Iran's charge d'affaires, Mehdi Hosseini Matin. This came after Iran International, a Persian language media outlet, announced that two of its journalists had been notified by the Metropolitan Police of threats against them, according to the BBC.
Iran has denied the claims but it placed sanctions on the same news channel which is located in London and BBC Persian last month.
After the UK imposed sanctions on Iran’s morality police in October, Iran claimed it was holding the country “responsible and accountable” for supporting the Iranian demonstrators amid the death of the young Kurdish woman, Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of morality police on September 16.
The bloody crackdown by authorities has so far resulted in the death of at least 304 people, including 41 children, according to Oslo-based Iran Human Rights.
“The UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations. I summoned the Iranian representative today to make clear that we do not tolerate threats to life and intimidation of any kind towards journalists, or any individual, living in the UK,” Cleverly was quoted by his office.
“The Iranian regime has responded to widespread internal protests with the suppression of freedom of expression and the targeting of media outlets operating in Iran. More than 40 journalists have been arrested and detained,” he added.
The summoned Iranian official is Iran's charge d'affaires, Mehdi Hosseini Matin. This came after Iran International, a Persian language media outlet, announced that two of its journalists had been notified by the Metropolitan Police of threats against them, according to the BBC.
Iran has denied the claims but it placed sanctions on the same news channel which is located in London and BBC Persian last month.
After the UK imposed sanctions on Iran’s morality police in October, Iran claimed it was holding the country “responsible and accountable” for supporting the Iranian demonstrators amid the death of the young Kurdish woman, Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of morality police on September 16.
The bloody crackdown by authorities has so far resulted in the death of at least 304 people, including 41 children, according to Oslo-based Iran Human Rights.