Iran General NewsBBC Condemns Iran's Sanctions Against Its Journalists

BBC Condemns Iran’s Sanctions Against Its Journalists

-

Iran Focus

London, 16 Aug – The BBC has criticised the Iranian Regime for its asset freeze on BBC Persian staff resident in London; the latest attack from the Regime on the BBC’s Iranian correspondents.

The Iranian judiciary issued a court order that imposed sanctions against more than 150 BBC Persian journalists and former journalists. The sanctions prevent the people listed from conducting financial transactions (including selling their homes) in Iran because of their ties to the BBC.

Francesca Unsworth, director of the BBC World Service, said: “We deplore what appears to be a targeted attack on BBC Persian staff, former staff, and some contributors. It is appalling that anyone should suffer legal or financial consequences because of their association with the BBC.”

She continued: “We call upon the Iranian authorities to reverse this order urgently and allow BBC staff and former staff to enjoy the same financial rights as their fellow citizens.”

The journalists weren’t even informed of the sanctions but found out by accident after one journalist attempted to sell their house in Iran.

This is just the latest incident in the Iranian Regime’s intimidation campaign against BBC staff; many are unable to return to Iran- even to visit dying family members- for fear of arrest or attacks from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Regime’s secret police.

Indeed, at least one BBC journalist who visited family in Iran has been detained in the country.

According to the Guardian: “[Iranian] Authorities have maintained a campaign of harassment against [BBC Persian journalists] by summoning their family members who live in the country. A number of staff have also been victims of false allegations of sexual misconduct, duplicated Facebook accounts, fake blogs and online identity theft designed to discredit them.”

The Regime considers the BBC Persian service to be a subversive arm of the Britain Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, which aims to overthrow the Regime.

The BBC Persian service is banned in Iran but 13 million people still access it via illegal satellite dishes, desperate to hear news that doesn’t come from the Regime’s propaganda machine.

Iran is BBC News’ seventh-biggest market worldwide.

This is the latest example of the Iranian Regime renewing its crackdown on freedom of the press following the controversial re-election of Hassan Rouhani as president.

According to Reporters without Borders, Iran is one of the five worst countries for press freedom in the world, with at least 10 journalists and 17 citizen-journalists incarcerated.

On Sunday, it was announced that Iranian journalist Sasan Aghaei had been arrested.

It is also believed that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British charity worker held prisoner in Iran may have been arrested for her former work at the BBC.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Govt exploring Iran uranium options: Smith

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen...

South Korea mulls offer of Iranian oil tankers

AFP: Seoul is considering an offer by Tehran to...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you