Iran Attorney General Threatens Iranians with Prosecution for Reporting On Floods

Iran Attorney General Threatens Iranians with Prosecution for Reporting On Floods

Published by on April 2, 2019

Iran’s Attorney General warned Iranian people that they could be prosecuted for their reporting on the flood that has resulted in dozens of deaths and destroyed homes and infrastructure in more than 25 provinces throughout the country.

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said that publishing “fake” news on the floods is a national security violation, and such news would be dealt as “disrupting the security of the country.”

The state-run ISNA news agency quoted Rahmani as saying: “I told judicial authorities and the prosecutor to deal with those who are behind publishing fake news and those who are looking to exaggerate the problems in flood-stricken areas.”

Also the state’s cyber police force (FATA) has stated that: “All police units in the provinces have been instructed to monitor social media and take swift action against those who publish images and spread rumours that disturb public opinion and disrupt the peace in society,” said Ramin Pashaie, FATA’s deputy chief, on 27 March.

Pashaie also accused those who have shared photos and video footage of the damage, particularly from the hardest-hit city of Shiraz, Fars Province, of doing so for personal gain.

“We ask our dear citizens to not pay attention to news from unknown sources on social media because many of these individuals want to take advantage of the recent floods in order to increase their audience and followers,” he said.

This is while the heavy rainfall that began on Sunday, 17 March, in the northern cities of Iran, caused the cities and villages of provinces like Golestan, Mazandaran, Northern Khorasan and Semnan to become engulfed with water due to the devastating policies of the Iranian government in response to natural disasters.

Many Iranians lost their lives or their belongings at the beginning of the Persian New Year. Tens of thousands became homeless and many people are faced with heavy financial losses in these provinces. Dozens of villages have gone underwater, and thousands of people are spending their terrible days without any shelter in this bad weather conditions.


Help end the danger in the middle east, and stop the suffering

Read Petition
Sign Petition Now