During periods of crisis, Iran’s political establishment seeks scapegoats, placing independent journalists — including those who have lived in exile for years — at the top of its target list.
In late September, the Iranian judiciary announced the confiscation of assets belonging to individuals accused of “cooperation with hostile governments.” The measure forms part of a previously disclosed plan targeting approximately 400 people residing abroad, including journalists, activists, artists, and athletes, whose property is slated for seizure.
“The only thing I own in my parents’ house in Iran is a bookshelf,” says Amir Soltanzadeh. The exiled freelance journalist, who occasionally contributes to Germany’s international broadcaster DW, discovered his name on a government list that Iranian state media labeled “traitors to the homeland.” His assets were marked for confiscation. In an online post earlier this year, he published a photo of his book collection and wrote: “This library is my only asset in Iran. If you enjoy reading books, go ahead and confiscate them.”
‘My father lost his job because of me’
Soltanzadeh said his bank account in Iran was also frozen. It contained the equivalent of roughly €500 ($555), which he used, among other things, to buy gifts and flowers for family members on special occasions. He described his inclusion on the traitor list as “unjust.”
“I have not acted against Iran,” he emphasized. “Every position I have taken was ultimately aimed at improving the lives of people in Iran.”
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Some of his relatives, he said, have severed ties with his family because of his journalistic work.
“When people hear about a journalist working abroad, some who adopt the government’s narrative automatically equate that person with a spy. They see a journalist as someone who is paid to gather information,” said Soltanzadeh.
This pressure, according to the exiled journalist, eventually extended to his father’s workplace.
“My father lost his job because of me. And because of me, my mother lives in constant anxiety — every time the phone rings, she has to wonder who is on the other end.”
For several months, Soltanzadeh cut all direct contact with his family to protect them, communicating only through an intermediary.
Regime using vague laws to control media reporting
Pressure against independent journalists is a recurring pattern in the Islamic Republic. During periods of political tension, Western media outlets and journalists are frequently portrayed as agents of hostile intelligence services such as the CIA or Mossad, or as mouthpieces disseminating subversive propaganda.
The authorities possess numerous tools to surveil reporters, including hacking social media accounts and intercepting conversations later used as evidence against their contacts inside Iran.
Such repression also shapes which information reaches the public.
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A journalist in Iran, who requested anonymity, says that reporting on detainees, state executions, and the treatment of protesters carries significant risks and restrictions.
“Journalists can only write on their personal pages in a very limited and censored way,” the reporter said. “In their reports, they are required to follow the government’s official narrative.”
Iran-based journalists must weigh potential legal consequences of their work, which in turn constrains their ability to conduct independent research, maintain contact with sources, and pursue sensitive topics.
Article 24 of Iran’s constitution guarantees freedom of the press. However, the Press Law has been amended and expanded several times over the past four decades. It requires media professionals, among other things, not to endanger the Islamic Republic, not to insult the clergy or the Supreme Leader, and not to disseminate false information. These broadly worded provisions give authorities significant latitude to interfere in media work.
Danger follows reporters abroad
Many journalists are forced to leave the country due to relentless pressure and the risk of being targeted by authorities.
“Because of my journalistic work, I had to go into exile,” says Omid Barin, a freelance journalist who also occasionally contributes to DW.
Barin’s reporting focuses on issues such as human rights violations and the situation of ethnic minorities in Iran. The pressure “has undoubtedly caused me to be much more cautious and sensitive when communicating with sources inside the country, to avoid putting them in danger,” he told DW.
While Barin declines to provide details on the threats he faces, citing the risk of backlash against those close to him, he says the core message is clear: someone in Iran would like him to either abandon journalism or steer clear of sensitive topics.
Even while living abroad, Barin is forced to take additional precautions in his daily life and pay close attention to his personal security due to his work for media outlets the Iranian regime considers “hostile.”
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