TRANSCRIPT
Tina Kordrostami fled with her family to Australia when she was five years old.
Now 30, Ms Kordrostami is a Greens councillor for the City of Ryde in Sydney and an outspoken Iranian Australian activist.
She says advocating for human rights in her home country has come at a high cost.
“We've had so many cases where people have been followed. I was followed myself. There are people who have done a lot more, who have sacrificed a lot more, and they have also been attacked, threatened and abused. This has been going on for a very long time.”
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told SBS News: "Australia takes seriously the threat of foreign interference and will not tolerate, under any circumstances, attempts by foreign regimes to disrupt peaceful protests, suppress freedom of speech, or engage in hostile activities..."
Following a SBS News investigation into an alleged assassination attempt on Australia’s ambassador to Iran, Tina Kordrostami is urging the Australian Government to protect the safety of its citizens by listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ((IRGC)) as a terrorist organisation.
“Where exactly does the Australian government draw that line as to the importance of its citizens' safety?"
Through documents leaked by hacktivist group Edalaate Ali, the SBS investigation revealed a series of alleged attacks targeting the Australian embassy in Iran and an assassination plot against the former ambassador, Ian Biggs, in 2019.
SBS News cannot confirm what motivated the alleged attacks.
Nader Zoljalali is a member of the board of directors of the Australian Iranian Community Alliance.
"I felt that was an attack on Australian sovereignty and on the public's right to know about what happens to Australia."
Foreign Minister Penny Wong reiterated the department's position on Wednesday when questioned by SBS World News Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson about why Biggs was allegedly targeted.
Anna Henderson: SBS has reported this year on an alleged assassination plot against Australia's ambassador in Iran in 2019. Why was Ian Big's targeted?
Penny Wong: I'm not going to comment on operational security for obvious reasons, [[BUTT]] more broadly in relation to Iran, you would know that the Albanese government has taken stronger action in relation to Iran than any previous Australian government, both in terms of sanctions and our declarations with others on human rights.
But Ms Kordrostami says it’s a matter of national security and a matter of being heard.
"For us, the question is, how many more Australian lives need to be placed at risk?"
Iran was again mentioned as a hostile nation in this year’s ASIO threat assessment.
SBS approached the Iranian embassy in Australia for comment, but has not received a response.
