UN Special Rapporteur Urges Iranian Government to End Harassment of BBC Staff

Following a complaint from the BBC media network regarding the harassment of its Persian section staff by the Iranian government, a UN Special Rapporteur called on the Islamic Republic to put an end to these abuses. According to Agence France-Presse, David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, stated on Wednesday, October 25, that he had raised concerns about this issue with the Iranian government and is awaiting a response. In a press conference at the UN headquarters, he said: "We urge the Iranian government to stop harassing the staff of BBC Persian and their families, as well as other journalists." The Iranian judiciary, in late August, issued a ruling prohibiting 152 current and former staff members of BBC Persian from conducting transactions, effectively meaning they cannot access their properties in Iran or sell any assets. Additionally, multiple reports have indicated that the Islamic Republic is attempting to obstruct the media activities of BBC Persian staff and other Persian-language media outlets abroad, such as Radio Farda and Radio Zamaneh, by pressuring their families. The BBC has described these actions by the Iranian government as a "violation of fundamental human rights" and has submitted a complaint from its staff to David Kaye and Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Iran has accused BBC Persian staff of "acting against national security" and has communicated the judicial ruling against them to all offices and registration centers.