Iranian lawmakers are discussing a bill that could make contact between people in Iran and foreign media or organisations a criminal offence. Under the proposal, interviews, communications or sending photographs could carry six months to two years in prison unless the contact is reported to the intelligence ministry beforehand, according to Iranian human rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli.
What the proposed law could cover
Khazaeli, who works with the legal counselling centre Dadban, said the measure could apply to contact with foreign media in any country, not only outlets linked to the United States or Israel. He also said platforms the Iranian government considers financed by another country, including Instagram and X, would fall under the bill.
If adopted, the proposal could affect journalists, researchers and ordinary citizens who speak to international audiences or organisations. Human rights advocates say it could restrict reporting on events including January’s mass anti-regime protests.
A journalist’s case highlights the risks
The proposed bill comes as photographer Yalda Moaiery, 44, faces a 15-year prison sentence in Tehran for documenting the US-Israeli war on Iran. She was sentenced in absentia this month under an espionage law introduced after last year’s 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
Related coverage: Iran lawmakers advance plan restricting foreign-linked contact.
Moaiery has spent two decades documenting life in Iran, including the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests and the anti-regime protests in January. She was previously arrested and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2022, but later received an amnesty. She said she fears the latest sentence could be upheld and that she could be jailed for 15 years.
Rights groups warn of wider isolation
Bahar Ghandehari, advocacy director at the Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the measure would threaten not only journalists and citizen journalists but also academic, professional and civic engagement. Khazaeli said it could push Iran towards a situation resembling North Korea.
Moaiery said she had been accused of media activity deemed to strengthen and aid Israel and the US, despite describing herself as a longtime critic of both Israeli policies and American politics. She also criticised foreign journalists who travelled to Tehran for the July funeral of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, saying they had failed to ask people about economic conditions or the families of those killed in January.
More context: Human Rights Watch says settler violence is forcing Palestinians from West Bank communities.
What happens next
Iranian lawmakers are discussing the proposed law this month; the supplied material does not state whether it has been enacted or when lawmakers will decide its final status.
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