Iran’s parliament has approved a bill under which interviews, sending images, and any contact with media outside Iran may lead to prison punishment. On Sunday, 25 Mordad, the bill was passed by members of parliament with 183 votes in favor under the title “Confronting the infiltration of intelligence services and governments or foreign entities into the country.” The Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization have been designated as the enforcers of the offenses under this law, and the handling of cases has been placed under the jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Court. For this measure to become law, it must receive approval from the Guardian Council. In this regard, we spoke with “Musa Barzin Khalife-lo,” a lawyer and legal scholar, and asked him what such a restriction indicates and why it is being introduced in current conditions?

Musa Barzin says: “We are not seeing a legal issue; rather, it is a political-security matter whose source is fear of popular protests that in the coming months, we will definitely witness. That is, a legal basis for repression is being anticipated.”

This interview was aired in the news segment of Sunday, 25 Mordad 1405, on “IranWire TV.”