Iranians risk arrest over foreign contacts under proposed bill, UN Fact

The UN urged Iranian officials Thursday to withdraw draft legislation that would impose up to 30 years imprisonment for communicating with “foreign entities,” warning that the broadly worded measure could have long-term implications on fundamental civil liberties in the country. Commenting on the potential human rights violations that may arise if the bill is passed, Sara Hossain, chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, said: We are appalled at the steps of the Government of Iran to subject everyday Iranians to blanket criminalisation for any contact with the outside world when people are already suffering from isolation due to long-standing international sanctions, the Government’s repression of recent protests, the longest ever internet shutdown, and the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. According to the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, the broad “Countering Foreign Infiltration” bill before Iran’s parliament “constitutes a dangerous escalation in suppressing fundamental freedoms and isolating Iranians from the international community.” The proposed legislation would require Iranians to disclose activities with foreign entities and to “obtain approval from an online system” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Intelligence. Without prior authorization, contacts with foreign media could become a crime. Iran is already one of the world’s most repressive countries in terms of press freedom, ranking at 177th place out of 180 countries, according to the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. The internal political climate in the country has only been exacerbated in the aftermath of the 2022 media blackouts in response to widespread protests after the death of Mahsa Amini and the 2026 US-Israeli offensive. In March, Human Rights Watch urged the regime to lift restrictions on internet and communication services since civilians could not access essential information during Iran’s conflict with the US and Israel. In April, the EU extended sanctions on Iran due to its human rights violations. Recently, UN experts denounced continued hostilities between the US and Iran in late July, warning that the resumed conflict undermines peace and greatly increases civilian suffering in the region. The Mission cautioned that the bill could also criminalize communication with UN investigators and other international rights organizations, effectively severing the last remaining channels for independent oversight and dialogue between Iranian civil society and the global community. Based on the UN Human Rights Council resolutions 12/2, 24/24, and S-39/1, human rights victims and civil society must be guaranteed unrestricted communication with the Mission without any threat of retaliation. Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, echoed the Mission’s demand, adding that “intelligence services should not be the gatekeepers of Iranian people’s contact with the world.” Iran’s Guardian Council still must pass the bill before it becomes law. Therefore, it is not unlikely that this ban on foreign contact could still take effect.