- Thread starter
- Staff
- #1
Dadparvar
Staff member
- Nov 11, 2016
- 11,397
- 0
- 6
Two Iranian men were convicted Thursday of assisting Iran’s intelligence services in surveiling London-based journalists, including a Persian-language broadcaster repeatedly targeted by Iranian authorities.
Mostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court under the National Security Act 2023 following a six-week trial. Both men are scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2026.
The court heard that the men acted on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), monitoring journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, alongside a lawyer and a media production professional. The targets included individuals working for Iran International, an independent Persian-language broadcaster critical of the Iranian government.
Evidence presented at trial included photographs, videos, text messages, online searches and cell-site data documenting surveillance of the targets’ homes, workplaces, and other movements. Sepahvand coordinated with handlers in Iran, while Manesh supplied photographs, videos and intelligence. The men had been promised tens of thousands of pounds for their activities. Prosecution evidence presented at the trial also illustrated Sepahvand stating in a voice note to an Iranian contact that he had been assured that his theft conviction in Iran would be “sorted out” and he would receive £150,000.
Commenting on the convictions, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said:
It is clear the arrests of these two men by Counter Terrorism Policing officers prevented serious violence from being inflicted on one or more individuals in the UK.
Sepahvand was also convicted of conducting surveillance, reconnaissance, and open-source research intended to facilitate serious violence against a person in the UK. Manesh, however, was acquitted of the separate charge of conducting surveillance intending to facilitate serious violence by others. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted of all charges. The men were initially charged in May 2025 over activities conducted between August 2024 and February 2025.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomed the convictions, describing the case as evidence of Iran’s efforts to intimidate and silence journalists operating outside its borders.
The post Two Iranian men convicted of spying on London-based journalists for Iran appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.
Mostafa Sepahvand and Farhad Javadi Manesh were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court under the National Security Act 2023 following a six-week trial. Both men are scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2026.
The court heard that the men acted on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), monitoring journalists Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, alongside a lawyer and a media production professional. The targets included individuals working for Iran International, an independent Persian-language broadcaster critical of the Iranian government.
Evidence presented at trial included photographs, videos, text messages, online searches and cell-site data documenting surveillance of the targets’ homes, workplaces, and other movements. Sepahvand coordinated with handlers in Iran, while Manesh supplied photographs, videos and intelligence. The men had been promised tens of thousands of pounds for their activities. Prosecution evidence presented at the trial also illustrated Sepahvand stating in a voice note to an Iranian contact that he had been assured that his theft conviction in Iran would be “sorted out” and he would receive £150,000.
Commenting on the convictions, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said:
It is clear the arrests of these two men by Counter Terrorism Policing officers prevented serious violence from being inflicted on one or more individuals in the UK.
Sepahvand was also convicted of conducting surveillance, reconnaissance, and open-source research intended to facilitate serious violence against a person in the UK. Manesh, however, was acquitted of the separate charge of conducting surveillance intending to facilitate serious violence by others. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted of all charges. The men were initially charged in May 2025 over activities conducted between August 2024 and February 2025.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomed the convictions, describing the case as evidence of Iran’s efforts to intimidate and silence journalists operating outside its borders.
The post Two Iranian men convicted of spying on London-based journalists for Iran appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.