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Escalating security concerns see BBC file urgent complaint to UN against Iran’s ongoing harassment of BBC News Persian journalists and their families

The BBC has today filed an urgent complaint against Iran with the United Nations over ongoing harassment and sanctions against BBC News Persian journalists and their families in Iran. The urgent complaint is made amid escalating security concerns after a year in which Iran has conducted unlawful, extra-territorial operations against journalists and dissidents.

The urgent complaint comes as Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC International News and Director of World Service, and Rozita Lotfi, Head of BBC News Persian, today address the Third Global Conference for Media Freedom being held in Tallinn, hosted by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

For more than a decade Iran has targeted BBC News Persian journalists and their families. Journalists have not been able to return to Iran for fear of arrest, while family members have been subjected to travel bans, interrogated and arbitrarily detained. 

Based on interviews with staff members about incidents in the last year, including since the new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took office, the new UN complaint filed today reveals a concerning increase in harassment and security risk. The BBC has reported to the UN:

  • Increased security concerns for BBC News Persian journalists in the light of extra-territorial threats, including in the UK and in third countries;

  • Increased harassment of family members in Iran;

  • Increased financial pressure from the ongoing asset freeze, which operates as a blunt financial sanction against BBC News Persian journalists and their extended families;

  • Increased intelligence and counter-intelligence activity aimed at undermining the professional reputation of BBC News Persian and its journalists;

  • Increased and continued online attacks and online violence, particularly directed at women journalists;

  • The BBC has requested urgent action from UN experts, that the matter be communicated to Iran and that the protection of BBC News Persian journalists be raised at the UN Human Rights Council.

Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services and Director of World Service said: “We appeal to the UN and the international community to continue to condemn Iran for their unacceptable treatment of our BBC News Persian colleagues. There have been escalating actions and threats, including an asset freeze which penalises the journalists and their families, online harassment, gendered attacks on women journalists and death threats. It must stop. The BBC will continue to speak up for its journalists who should be free to carry out their jobs without fear of threats or intimidation towards them or their families in Iran.” 

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Jennifer Robinson (Doughty Street Chambers), Counsel for BBC World Service, said: “We know from Iran’s past actions that it is willing to take cross-border and deadly action to silence its critics, and that it perceives independent journalism about Iran as a risk to their power. Our clients from BBC News Persian receive threats of death and violence simply for doing their jobs - simply for being journalists. We call on the United Nations experts and the Human Rights Council to take swift, robust action to hold Iran to account and ensure that BBC News Persian journalists can report without fear.”

The NUJ’s national broadcasting organiser, Paul Siegert, said: “It is a sad state of affairs that in 2022 these kind of attacks and abuse against individuals are still an on-going problem. Journalists and their families are being threatened just because of the job they do. It has to stop. Our members will not be silenced and will not stop doing their jobs. We once again call on the Iranian government to put a halt to this unacceptable behaviour.”

 Notes to editors: 

  • BBC News Persian reaches a weekly global audience of nearly 19 million people weekly including around 13 million in Iran. It is part of BBC World Service which delivers news content in English and 41 other language services, on radio, TV and digital. The BBC attracts a weekly global audience of 489 million people to its services available internationally, including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel, bbc.com/news, BBC Studios and the international charity, BBC Media Action.

  • The BBC initiated its first ever UN complaint in 2017 in relation to the protection of BBC journalists and has continued to engage with UN Special Procedures Mechanisms since. Concern has been raised about Iran’s treatment of BBC News Persian by the UN Secretary-General and successive UN Special Rapporteurs.

  • In March 2020, a group of UN experts made a joint statement condemning Iran’s harassment of BBC, raising concern of indications that: "…the Iranian authorities are prepared to use force extra-territorially, in violation of international law. Harassment, surveillance, death threats against journalists, within and outside domestic boundaries violate international human right law, including the right to physical integrity, the right to life and the right to freedom of expression.

The UN experts said that Iran’s acts towards BBC News Persian “violate international law regulating the use of force in times of peace” and “ultimately constitute serious threats to global security and thus demand strong reactions on the part of the Governments”.