Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)

Person/Entity:
Entity
Sanctioned by U.S:
Yes
Date Sanctioned by U.S:
2013-02-06
Sanctioned by EU:
Yes
Date Sanctioned by EU:
2022-12-12
Sanctioned by U.K.:
No
Sanctioned by Canada:
No
Sanctioned by Australia:
No
U.S Laws/EOs Sanctioned Under:
EU Laws/Regulations Sanctioned Under:
U.K. Laws/Regulations Sanctioned Under:
--
Canadian Laws/Regulations Sanctioned Under:
--
Australian Laws/Regulations Sanctioned Under:
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Description

"IRIB was established as the main governmental agency in charge of the broadcasting policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is responsible for producing numerous national and international television and radio channels. According to human rights groups, Iran is using state-media transmissions to trample dissent. They point to distorted or false IRIB news reports and the broadcasting of forced confessions of political detainees, such as one involving Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari, who was forced to give a false confession in front of state media outlets while jailed in 2009. In March 2012, the European Union placed individual sanctions on Zarghami for authorizing, as head of IRIB, the broadcast in August 2009 and December 2011 of forced confessions of detainees and “show trials” that constituted a clear violation of international provisions on fair trial and the right to due process. Additionally, Iran is engaged in a campaign to filter out unwanted TV content and broadcast its own propaganda. After the 2009 presidential election in Iran, jamming of foreign channels, particularly the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA), increased in intensity. Then, in the wake of the Arab Spring movements, Iran increased its jamming of the BBC, VOA, and other Western networks with Persian-language news channels. The move was intended to prevent Iranian audiences from seeing foreign broadcasts that the Iranian government found objectionable. Zarghami has admitted using such tactics, according to Iranian state media reports."1

"Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is a state-owned broadcasting company notorious for being a regime mouthpiece. IRIB is responsible for producing and broadcasting the forced confessions of detainees, including journalists, political activists, and persons belonging to Kurdish and Arab minorities, thereby violating internationally recognised rights to a fair trial and due process. IRIB is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran."2

NOTE:

Canada has sanctioned IRIB, pursuant to the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations, regarding Iran's "grave breach of international peace and security."2

Source:

1. https://www.treasury.gov/

2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L:2022:318I:FULL&from=EN

3.  https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2010-165/FullText.html

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