Guard assaults, breaks finger of journalist reporting on Iran vaccination campaign

An Iranian journalist has said she was assaulted by a guard of a state vaccination centre while she was producing a report on Iran's inoculation programme.

Faezeh Momeni was interviewing doctors and health workers for Tehran-based news website Ruydad 24 when a guard approached her asking her to delete her material, she said on her Instagram account. 

When she refused his request, the guard deleted Momeni’s footage and physically assaulted her, breaking her finger. 

The International Federation of Journalists condemned the attack and urged Iranian authorities to prosecute her  attacker.

This comes as journalists and experts have repeatedly criticised Iranian authorities for their sluggish response and lack of transparency in their Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

Throughout the pandemic, legal action and harassment against journalists in Iran has increased, according to the International Federation of Journalists.

#Iran🇮🇷: Faezeh Momeni, a reporter working for Ruydad 24 news in Tehran, was beaten by the guard of a state vaccination center while producing a report about the vaccination process after refusing to delete the interviews from her phone #PressFreedom https://t.co/VFGQCINlQE

— IFJ (@IFJGlobal) May 20, 2021

"The Iranian government must immediately stop the crackdown on media and put an end to all the open court procedures against journalists for simply doing their job. The assailant of Faezeh Momeni must be brought to justice," said Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretary.

Iranian medics were also detained and harassed for speaking out about the state's response to the virus.

Unnamed sources inside Iran's health system accused the government of covering up the spread when it first hit in February.