Iran parliament approves bill criminalizing contact with hostile media

Iranian parliament foreign influence bill hostile media intelligence services media censorship

The Iranian parliament has approved the general principles of a bill designed to combat foreign influence and intelligence infiltration. The proposed legislation would criminalize communications with media outlets deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic, specifically including American or Israeli media and any outlets financed by those nations.

Under the bill, participating in discussions or conducting interviews with such media could result in prison sentences ranging from six months to two years. For other foreign media not classified as hostile, individuals would be required to notify the Ministry of Intelligence. Contacting foreign embassies, organizations, or non-Iranian institutions without written permission from the foreign ministry could lead to fines and the deprivation of certain social rights.

The legislation also introduces harsher penalties for economic crimes conducted under foreign supervision and bans providing information to foreigners without intelligence ministry approval. Furthermore, scientific cooperation with foreign institutions would be restricted to an approved list. Most significantly, policy or legislative proposals made under the direction of foreign intelligence services that harm national security could face prison terms of up to 30 years. Legal cases related to these violations are slated to be heard by Revolutionary Courts. The bill must still undergo review by the Guardian Council before it can officially become law.

Entities

Guardian Council · Iranian Parliament · Islamic Republic of Iran · Israel · Ministry of Intelligence · Revolutionary Courts · Shargh · United States · Yalda Moaiery

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 14 SOURCES] Legislative proposals made under the direction of foreign intelligence services that harm Iran’s security could face up to 30 years in prison. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +9 more
[● 14 SOURCES] The legislation would restrict scientific cooperation with foreign institutions to an approved list. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +9 more
[● 14 SOURCES] The bill must undergo review by the Guardian Council before it can officially become law. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +9 more
[● 14 SOURCES] Violations involving interviews with hostile media would be punishable by six months to two years in prison. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +9 more
[● 14 SOURCES] Interviews with foreign media not deemed hostile would require notification to the intelligence ministry. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +9 more
[● 8 SOURCES] Photojournalist Yalda Moaiery was sentenced to 15 years in prison under a previous law regarding cooperation with hostile states. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +3 more
[● 14 SOURCES] The Iranian parliament approved a bill to criminalize communications with media deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +9 more
[● 14 SOURCES] Legal cases regarding these violations would be heard by Revolutionary Courts. www.japantimes.co.jp · mix929.com · srnnews.com · wixx.com · kelo.com · +9 more
[● 12 SOURCES] The bill targets communications with media deemed hostile, specifically including US or Israeli media and outlets financed by those countries. www.japantimes.co.jp · www.al-monitor.com · mix929.com · wdez.com · srnnews.com · +7 more