BBC Staff Complain to UN About Islamic Republic: Elderly Relatives Being Held in Solitary Confinement

Some staff members of the BBC Persian Service reported in a new complaint to the United Nations about the intensification of harassment by Islamic Republic authorities against their families – including solitary confinement, interrogation, and humiliation.

The BBC news organization announced on Monday, December 9, that BBC Persian Service staff told UN special rapporteurs in an urgent complaint that following recent protests, harassment of their families in Iran has escalated.

According to BBC’s announcement, BBC Persian Service staff informed UN rapporteurs about the severity and importance of the conditions they and their families face, explaining that Islamic Republic authorities have kept their elderly relatives in solitary cells, under interrogation, and in humiliating conditions.

Staff members of the news organization also expressed concern about recent threats from the Islamic Republic against journalists working for Persian-language media outlets outside Iran. Islamic Republic authorities accuse Persian-language media outside the country of inciting protests and fueling the demonstrators.

The BBC World Service Director said in this regard: “While our staff have endured years of harassment by Iranian authorities, the Islamic Republic has escalated its attacks on journalists from other media outlets who reported on the protests.”

In recent days, following increased threats against journalists outside Iran and harassment of their families, the US State Department’s special representative for Iran announced that the United States condemns the targeting of journalists and their families by the Iranian regime.

The US State Department’s Persian page on Twitter wrote, citing Brian Hook: “The Iranian regime has targeted journalists from the Persian service of Voice of America, Radio Farda, and BBC.”

Mr. Hook further added that “the United States condemns the targeting of journalists and their families and continues to take decisive steps to support freedom of speech and the press.”

Previously, Ted Cruz, a Republican US Senator, reacted to the Islamic Republic’s actions against journalists working for Persian-language media outlets outside Iran and wrote on Twitter that “the Iranian regime is trying to intimidate and silence Persian-language journalists because it knows the truth is the greatest threat to the continuance of their rule.”

In recent weeks, it was reported that the government and judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic have again imposed restrictions on journalists working in some Persian-language media outlets outside Iran, including blacklisting.

Reporters Without Borders also announced that 25 cases of harassment of families of Iranian journalists outside the country have been reported in the past 11 months.

This report was met with a reaction from Amanda Bennett, head of Voice of America, and Ms. Bennett strongly condemned the treatment of journalists from Persian-language media outlets outside the country, including Voice of America, by the Islamic Republic’s intelligence agencies, and the threats and intimidation of their families.

The US Secretary of State also condemned the threats against Iranian journalists working in foreign media by the Iranian regime, calling it an example of Iran’s wicked behavior, which President Trump had previously warned about.

Source: Voice of America