Iran's judiciary has filed charges against "a number of journalists and activists" after the publication of a BBC report alleging men working for the security forces sexually assaulted and killed a 16-year-old protester.

The judiciary-run Mizan news agency described the BBC Eye investigation into Nika Shakarami's death in 2022 as "fake, incorrect and full of mistakes".

It did not identify the individuals summoned for allegedly "disrupting the psychological security of society".

But two Iranian journalists who had commented on the report online said prosecutors had opened cases against them.

One of them, Mohammad Parsi, wrote on Twitter/X that the Tehran Prosecutor's Office had summoned him for publishing an "article about Nika Shakarami and the details of her murder".

The second, Marzieh Mahmoodi, posted that “neither the charges nor the details are known”.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi dismissed the findings of the BBC’s investigation as a plot by Iran's enemies, becoming the first official to comment publicly.

"Enemies and their media have resorted to false and unreal reports to carry out psychological operations," he told reporters outside a cabinet meeting, according to state media.

Mr Vahidi claimed it was "an attempt to divert attention" from the current pro-Palestinian protests in the US as well as Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel last month.

There was no immediate comment from BBC News on the statements by Mr Vahidi and the judiciary.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by David Gritten

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