Journalist and human rights activist marks two years of protest outside UK Foreign Office
A British-Iranian journalist and human rights activist has commemorated the second anniversary of his ‘Peace Camp’, a continuous protest outside the UK Foreign Office.
Vahid Beheshti, former Camberwell resident, is calling on the UK Government to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the list of terrorist organisations.
The 46-year-old first took his protest to the street outside the Foreign Affairs Office on King Charles Street, Whitehall on February 23, 2023.
He began his campaign with a 72-day hunger strike, which ended when he was taken to hospital due to chest pain and heart palpitations.
Speaking with the South London Press at the time, Mr Beheshti said: “That was the best moment. The doctor respected my decision. They didn’t touch me until I said, ‘OK I’ll break the strike’.”
The IRGC was established after Iran’s 1979 revolution to defend the country’s Islamic system and has since become a major military, political and economic force in Iran.
In December 2020, the IRGC kidnapped and executed Mr Beheshti’s close friend, Rouhollah Zam, accusing him of using a messaging app to stir up dissent.
In May 2023, Mr Beheshti claimed he was told by two of his trusted sources in Iran that “a cleric close to the IRGC” had called out a fatwa – a legal ruling in the Islamic Republic – against him to condone his killing. Clerics have high standing in Iran’s regime.
Throughout his protest, Mr Beheshti has garnered significant support from Members of Parliament.
In April 2023, 125 MPs signed a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, backing Mr Beheshti’s call to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
In opposition, Labour said it would proscribe the IRGC. But, since coming to power, the party has held back citing reluctance to escalate tensions with Tehran.
Reflecting on the personal toll of the protest, Mr Beheshti’s wife, Mattie Heaven, said: “It has been a very difficult two years for me, seeing my husband go through the hunger strike, which could have cost him his life.
“But, I understand it is crucial what he is doing. It is for our safety and security. The government needs to realise that and needs to take firm action against the Iranian regime.”
A government spokeswoman said the government, law enforcement and international partners continue to “identify, deter and respond to threats from Iran”.
She said: “That is why we continue to take strong action to hold the Iranian regime to account – we have sanctioned more than 450 Iranian individuals and entities, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in its entirety, as well as individual commanders.”
Pictured top: Vahid Beheshti on hunger strike outside the Home Office in 2023 (Picture: David Sladek)