Iran International TV in London broadcasts verified footage of Iran’s crackdown, reporting over 36,500 killed, while facing threats from Tehran.
LONDON: Journalists at the Persian-language Iran International TV in London are working to “show the truth” about protests in Iran despite ongoing threats.
The private broadcaster, labelled a “terrorist” organisation by Tehran, remains accessible inside Iran via satellite and VPNs.
It continues broadcasting despite an unprecedented nationwide communications blackout imposed by authorities.
Thousands of Iranians have sent the channel videos of the crackdown, which are aired after verification.
Senior journalist Farnoosh Faraji analyses footage of the bloodshed, including images of piles of bodies.
“Honestly, it’s horrible. At the beginning I couldn’t believe it. I thought maybe the images were made with AI,” said Faraji, who fled Iran in 2012.
Presenter Reza Mohaddes said they were “shocked by the brutality of the regime.”
On Sunday, the channel reported at least 36,500 people were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown.
It cited newly obtained classified documents and accounts from medical sources and families.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed 5,848 deaths and was investigating 17,091 more.
Launched in 2017, the channel was created to be “the voice of truth, the voice of the people of Iran,” Mohaddes said.
Spokesman Adam Baillie estimates its weekly audience is “probably now over 40 million.”
Iran International is the most-watched television channel inside Iran and among the diaspora, according to Baillie.
The newsroom employs about 200 journalists with correspondents in several global capitals.
The station denies allegations it is backed by Saudi Arabia, stating its investor is a British-Saudi national.
Baillie insisted the station is independent and supports neither exiled royal Reza Pahlavi nor Israel.
Working at the channel “you need a lot of courage … You have to be quite tough,” said Baillie.
“The threats against the channel have grown exponentially since we began.”
Faraji said her best friend in Iran was arrested and forced by police to urge her to resign.
Mohaddes recently received an anonymous email threatening to kill him and blow up their building.
Such threats are reported to London police, who previously advised a temporary shutdown and broadcast from Washington in 2023.
In March 2024, one of the channel’s reporters was stabbed near his London home.
Britain’s foreign ministry has summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat to protest “serious threats” against journalists.
“I’m not afraid at all,” insisted Mohaddes. “We’re all fighting to get rid of this brutal regime.”
