A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ruled that an Iranian-born journalist and her eight-year-old daughter may proceed anonymously in a lawsuit alleging physical attacks, threats, and harassment by agents of the Iranian government.

Background

The journalist, who began her career with a reformist newspaper in Iran before moving to the United States in 2020, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2025. Her reporting following the 2009 Green Movement drew scrutiny from Iranian authorities, resulting in surveillance and interrogation.

Court documents state that after she left the country, alleged Iranian proxies continued to target her and her family in Maryland and Tehran. The complaint alleges that proxies physically assaulted the journalist on three occasions, including an incident that resulted in a broken nose requiring corrective surgery.

The complaint also details actions directed at her minor daughter, alleging that agents followed, confronted, and photographed the child, leading the mother to withdraw her from public school and enroll her in a private school with enhanced security.

Ruling

In evaluating the request for anonymity, Judge James E. Boasberg applied a five-factor balancing test to weigh the public’s interest in open judicial proceedings against the plaintiffs’ need for confidentiality.

“Plaintiffs have shown that their interest in pseudonymity outweighs the public’s interest in learning their identities,” Boasberg wrote, noting that attaching their names to the lawsuit could expose the family to further danger.

The court found that revealing the mother’s identity would inevitably compromise the privacy and safety of her young child. The judge also noted that suing a foreign government entity for individualized relief supports allowing plaintiffs to use pseudonyms.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.