Iran accused of abducting journalist's family in retaliation for war coverage
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran detained the family members of an Iran International journalist Saturday in retaliation for the channels coverage of the countrys war with Israel, threatening to hold them until the journalist resigned from her position.
The London-based Farsi news channel said in a statement that it strongly condemns the abduction of its journalists family, calling it an appalling act of hostage-taking aimed at coercing our colleague into resigning from their post.
This deeply reprehensible tactic marks a dangerous escalation in the regimes ruthless campaign to silence dissent and suppress independent journalism, the news channel said.
The detainment marks the latest example of Irans longstanding effort to crack down not only on Iranian journalists inside the country but also those abroad who still have family and friends living in Iran. The Islamic Republic is one of the worlds top jailer of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and in the best of times, reporters face strict restrictions.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-international-journalist-family-israel-war-4c325de8b04ad604899bd0d988850308