Rights Watchdog Slams Iran Over Pressure On Dual Citizens, Foreigners Over Ties To West

A human rights watchdog on Wednesday criticized Iran over targeting foreigners and dual nationals, whom they believe to have ties to Western cultural and economic institutions.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2018) A human rights watchdog on Wednesday criticized Iran over targeting foreigners and dual nationals, whom they believe to have ties to Western cultural and economic institutions.

"Iran's security apparatus has escalated its targeting of Iranian dual citizens and foreign nationals whom they perceive to have links with Western academic, economic, and cultural institutions," the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.

The HRW looked into 14 cases of foreigners and dual nationals, who had been arrested since 2014, many of whom were charged with cooperating with a "hostile state," although no proof was shown.

The watchdog said that the Iranian authorities violated the detainees' right to due process in many cases, while the arrests themselves were politically motivated.

The HRW decried the actions of some Iranian media outlets that were "shaping public opinion about detainees' alleged offenses" and therefore undermining their right for fair trial.