Masih Alinejad Calls Upon U.N. To Back Journalists Facing Transnational Repression And Violence
NEW YORK, May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today, Iranian American journalist, author, and women's rights campaigner Masih Alinejad presented a draft resolution condemning transnational repression and the targeting of journalists to U.N. member states during an observance of World Press Freedom Day and called upon the UK to sponsor the resolution. In February, journalists in London at Iran International TV were forced to close their bureau and relocate to Washington after being warned that authorities could no longer protect them from threats originating with Iranian agents.
"The UK government actually asked one of the biggest [broadcasters], Iran International TV, to stop its activities and to move from the UK. It was advice. So, I want to call on you, the UK government ... and the General Assembly to pass this [resolution]," Alinejad told delegations in attendance in the General Assembly Hall.
Alinejad, who was forced into exile in 2009, is an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic, and the founder of a campaign against gender apartheid practices in that country, where women who choose to appear in public without a hijab risk fines, arrest, imprisonment, and death. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced conspiracy charges against Iranian agents that sought to kidnap Alinejad from New York and rendition her to the Islamic Republic. Earlier this year, the Justice Department filed charges in a murder-for-hire plot directed against her by the Iranian regime.
Within Iran, the Intelligence Ministry has reportedly ordered journalists and activists to remove posts on social media about chemical attacks perpetrated against schoolgirls, and dozens of journalists have been arrested over the last seven months because they reported on nationwide anti-regime protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly violating the compulsory hijab laws.
Prior to the World Press Freedom Day events, Alinejad said, "The Islamic Republic uses the tools of the state ? surveillance, intimidation, violence, and a corrupt judiciary ? to browbeat people into submission, but they are failing. Even though being a journalist in Iran can land you in jail, can get you killed, can get you tortured, they are failing. But they cannot be left to fight alone. More than 70 journalists are in prison in Iran, and their weapon is their voice. We have to take strong action."
To request an interview with Alinejad, please email [email protected].
ABOUT MY STEALTHY FREEDOM
My Stealthy Freedom is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to challenging the compulsory hijab laws of the Islamic Republic. Founded by Masih Alinejad in 2014, My Stealthy Freedom supports Iranian women's rights and promotes the cases of women who through acts of civil disobedience to fight discriminatory laws. My Stealthy Freedom informs and educates the public about discriminatory laws in Islamic Republic that punish women and strives to empower Iranians to resist and be a voice for the voiceless in Iran.
SOURCE My Stealthy Freedom
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