A Woolwich Crown Court in south London found 41‑year‑old Mostafa Sepahvand and 46‑year‑old Farhad Javadi Manesh guilty of spying for Iran’s intelligence services. The two men were convicted after a six‑week trial for surveilling several individuals, including journalists for the Persian‑language broadcaster Iran International and a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel, Jonathan Turner.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the defendants were promised rewards for transmitting intelligence back to Tehran. Prosecutor Frank Ferguson said Sepahvand was willing to go beyond surveillance and even plan a violent attack against at least one target. The court held that their conduct was aimed at inflicting violence on “subjects” in the UK.
The defendants had visited the addresses of their targets, taken photographs and videos, and used online platforms such as ChatGPT to research them. The case highlights the UK’s growing concern over hostile state threats, with the Metropolitan Police noting this is the fourth case in recent years involving direct threats to Iranian journalists in Britain.
While a third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted, the conviction of Sepahvand and Manesh underscores the UK’s enforcement of its new powers to counteract state‑sponsored threats. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was outlawed in July, carrying penalties of up to 14 years’ imprisonment for those supporting the organisation.
The two men will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 17. The case serves as a reminder of the ongoing risks faced by journalists and activists who criticize the Iranian regime.
Source: Al Jazeera
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