Iran Says Britain Restricts Freedom Of Speech For UK Journalists

Masoud Setayeshi, spokesman for Iran's Judiciary has slammed the United Kingdom for restricting freedom of speech and the violation of journalists' rights.

Despite being blasted by human rights organizations all over the world for consistently violating human rights, detaining journalists for speaking out against the regime and threatening journalists from Farsi-language media including Iran International reporters on British soil, Setayeshi said that that the government in the UK did not “prioritize the fundamental rights of its citizens.”

"It is imperative for me to express my regret over the repeated violations of human rights, minority rights, women's and children's rights, and the lamentable state of freedom of expression in the UK,” he said during a weekly press briefing on Tuesday.

“I hereby admonish this government to prioritize the fundamental rights of its citizens, including the rights of prisoners and the rights of journalists, and to responsibly prevent the infringement of these individuals' rights."

Setayeshi's remarks were prompted by a recent tweet from the British Ambassador in Iran, Simon Shercliff, which called for the release of detained journalists and resulted in him being summoned by Iran's foreign ministry.

Setayeshi criticized these kinds of comments as impertinent and audacious. "It should be acknowledged that Iran's response to the impertinence and historical interference of British government entities in our internal affairs has consistently been firm,” he said.

"It is prudent for the representative of the British monarchy's government, before rushing to his computer to tweet on social media, to first present a comprehensive dossier outlining how his predecessors' interventions have brought shame and humiliation upon themselves in the eyes of the Iranian nation. By doing so, he will restrain himself from committing such audacity again."

Last week, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) spokesman warned Iranian journalists to avoid critical reporting, which they said would aid the enemies.