Iran Bans BBC Persian Employees from Transactions

More than 150 individuals currently working or previously associated with BBC Persian have been declared "prohibited from transactions" by the Iranian judicial system. The BBC media network has issued a statement urging Iranian authorities to revoke this ruling, which effectively freezes the assets of its employees in Iran. Francesca Answorth, Director of BBC World Service and Deputy Editor of News and Current Affairs, condemned what appears to be a "targeted attack" on current and former BBC staff and some collaborators. According to a document published by BBC Persian from the country's registration organization, the "prohibition from transactions" for 152 BBC employees has been communicated to all registration offices and notary public offices in Iran. Amir Azimi, the news editor at BBC Persian, responded to the news of the transaction ban by stating that such matters do not affect the work of BBC Persian journalists. He also mentioned ongoing threats and harassment against the families of BBC Persian staff, noting that individuals from the families of colleagues have been summoned for questioning at unclear locations that seem to be affiliated with security and judicial institutions. Regarding legal follow-ups to this ruling, Azimi stated, "The reasons for this action are still unclear to us, and we are waiting to obtain more details. However, BBC is prepared to pursue this through legal and official channels." The ban also includes individuals who have previously worked with BBC Persian. Reuters reported that one of its journalists, who collaborated with BBC Persian until two years ago, has also been subjected to this prohibition after joining the news agency and ending his collaboration with BBC. In another case, Bahman Darolshafaee, a former BBC Persian employee who returned to Iran after ending his collaboration, announced on Twitter that he is also under a transaction ban. He wrote: "I was once tried, convicted, and punished for my work with BBC Persian, and if this ruling is for my work with BBC, it is illegal under Iranian law." Darolshafaee also mentioned his travel ban from Iran in his tweet. The Iranian government has previously accused BBC journalists of publishing news "against the national interests of the Islamic Republic." According to a report by Reuters, the Iranian judiciary is attempting to silence impartial journalists through this action. The prohibition on current and former BBC Persian employees was issued by the "Martyr Moqaddas" prosecutor's office located in Evin prison, Tehran. The BBC was unaware of the court ruling and only learned about the asset freeze when a relative of a BBC collaborator attempted to sell a property on their behalf. Iranian officials have repeatedly subjected journalists and staff of Persian-language media abroad to various accusations and pressures due to their reports that Iranian media cannot publish due to censorship and professional limitations. Families of Iranian journalists working abroad have also faced threats and occasional summons to security and judicial centers.