On Friday, Pouria Zeraati, an Iranian journalist and TV presenter for Iran International, suffered a stabbing in front of his home in London. The channel’s spokesman, Adam Baillie, revealed that Zeraati had been the target of “heavy death threats”. Despite the incident, Zeraati is “obviously shaken up but making a good recovery”, according to Baillie.
Iran International, a UK-based channel, is committed to delivering a “a fair and balanced view of what happens inside Iran”.
The incident has prompted an investigation by the UK Metropolitan police, under the auspices of the Counter Terrorism Command. Their interest in the case stems from both Zeraati’s status as a journalist and the threats received by members of the Persian-speaking channel. The police have stated that the motives behind the assault are currently unclear, but confirmed that Zeraati’s condition is stable.
Baillie indicated that the assault was “very alarming”, as it represents the first “physical attack” against staff of Iran International which, he says, have been under “considerable threats” including death threats against “high profile presenters” such as Zeraati for a year. He delineated that these threats have “escalated dramatically”, attributing them to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), an Iranian paramilitary organization accountable for the internal and external security of Iran. Baillie recalled a previous threat from the IRGC in October 2022: “we are coming for you.”
Against this backdrop, the UK government imposed sanctions on senior officials of the IRGC in 2023, citing the group’s responsibility for “the repression of protest in Iran which has seen more than 500 killed and tens of thousands imprisoned”.
Following the attack, UK MP Alicia Kearns responded with a statement on Twitter:
“This is deeply upsetting, Iran International had to shut down its UK arm for a short period, it only recently returned to the air from London. Whilst we don’t know the circumstances of this attack, Iran continues to hunt down those brave enough to speak out against the regime. Yet I remain unconvinced that we and our allies have clear strategies to protect people in our countries from them, and protect our interests abroad.”
This incident takes place against a backdrop of Iran’s track record of targeting dissenting journalists and activists. Reportedly, over 90 journalists were arrested for covering the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in custody in 2022 after being arrested by the morality police for opposing mandatory hijab standards. The story sparked nationwide protests in Iran.
Amnesty International has repeatedly called on authorities to halt the crackdown on protests, documenting the death of over 19 people killed by security forces. Two journalists arrested and charged with collaborating with the US government and colluding against national security were recently released. A UN report in March further detailed the mass human rights violations committed by the Iranian government during the protests sparked by Amini’s death.