United States Agency for Global Media

Washington, D.C. — VOA condemns the recently revealed actions taken in secret by the Tehran Revolutionary Court in 2022 that tried and convicted 44 journalists – including 11 at VOA – in absentia for allegedly producing “propaganda against the government.”

“These actions by Iran are thinly veiled attempts to stop the free flow of information into Iran,” said Acting VOA Director John Lippman. “They are also evidence of the success of VOA Persian broadcasts and web and social media in having an influential role in keeping the issues of women’s rights, open expression, and the importance of a free society front and center in Iran. VOA stands by our journalists and their reporting. We are reviewing ways to enhance security, for both the people who were named and for their families, and we will work with outside agencies and stakeholders to do so.”

Iran’s press freedom is ranked among the very worst in the world, ranking at 177 out of 180 according to Reporters Without Borders. Only Vietnam, China and North Korea rank below Iran. Iran is not only one of the most repressive countries with regard to press freedom but also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists.

VOA’s Persian-language programming to Iran confronts the disinformation and censorship efforts of the Iranian regime and enhances U.S. efforts to speak directly to the Iranian people and the global Persian-speaking diaspora providing the audiences with fact-based information and news, current affairs, cultural and entertaining content that gives them an inside look into what American life and the American people are like. Programs can be accessed on the 24-hour direct-to-home satellite television channel VOA365, web, mobile apps and a host of social media platforms.

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