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The Human Rights Commissioner is calling for a federal parliamentary inquiry into growing concerns about threats of foreign interference on Australian soil. She says dissidents, including those who speak out against the Iranian regime, are facing imminent danger.

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00:02Every day Sabah Vasefi monitors where she goes and who she sees.
00:07Concerned agents from the Iranian regime may be ready to strike.
00:12My family has been told that the regime has the plan to silence me and shut me down by poisoning
00:17me.
00:18The Sydney-based journalist and academic documents state-sanctioned violence in Iran
00:23but says she's faced systemic harassment online by accounts linked to the regime.
00:28My routine has been changed. I don't go to the same cafe, I don't go to the same restaurant.
00:35It's stories like hers Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay once examined by a parliamentary inquiry.
00:41The Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for a dedicated parliamentary inquiry into transnational repression
00:48and we've written to the Foreign Minister asking her to give that consideration.
00:53Transnational repression is when foreign governments target dissidents on Australian soil.
00:57It can be physical harassment but also coordinated campaigns of online abuse.
01:03ASIO's chief last year warned the threat was growing.
01:07The Department of Home Affairs says security agencies work continuously to protect Australians from foreign interference.
01:13But the Commissioner says a more coordinated response is needed.
01:18What's missing at the moment is a recognition of the human rights aspect of this particular issue
01:23and the understanding of how it impacts the individual's rights to engage in our democratic society.
01:30Despite the threats, Sabah Vasefi says she'll continue writing.
01:34Nothing can discourage me.
01:36Because staying silent, she says, is exactly what her oppressors want.
01:42The
01:46You
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