BBC Persian staff, former staff and contributors

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2019-054-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2019
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 32.427908

Longitude: 53.688046

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Iran
From Region
Type of record
Named organization
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

in relation to action taken by special procedures mandate holders and the journalists’ statements at the 37th, 38th and 39th sessions of the Human Rights Council;

on 22 October 2018, during a presentation with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression during the Third Committee of the General Assembly

The intimidation and investigation of BBC Persian staff, former staff and contributors had previously been the subject of action by two special procedures mandate holders in October 2017 (IRN 29/2017) 81 and raised in the March 2018 report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/HRC/37/68, para. 34).

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Special Procedures: thematic
  • UN Human Rights Council: UN Human Rights Council - General
Dates of engagement
October 2017; March 2018; June 2018; September 2018; 22 October 2018
Type of attempted engagement
  • Participation in meeting on UN premises
  • UN raised case of person/organization
Dates of mentioned reprisals
March 2018; until January 2019; 22 October 2018
Location of mentioned reprisals
Geneva
Reprisal information

Journalists reported being called ‘anti-Iranian’ and being accused of undermining Iran for their statements at the UN. In March 2018 they were reportedly followed and questioned at and in relation to their participation in the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Another journalist reported threats against family members, including warnings about their son participating in the UN advocacy work related to special procedure communications.

It was reported that on 22 October 2018, during a presentation with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression during the Third Committee of the General Assembly, the Government of Iran accused BBC Persian of “pumping blind hate, fabricating false news and provoking disruption and destruction.” 80 BBC Persian journalists were also reportedly attacked in various state media and subjected to abusive, aggressive tweets in response to coverage of BBC Persian issues being raised in UN fora, such as accusing the journalists of undermining national security, being involved in terrorism, and being puppets of the Government of the United Kingdom. The intimidation and investigation of BBC Persian staff, former staff and contributors had previously been the subject of action by two special procedures mandate holders in October 2017 (IRN 29/2017) 81 and raised in the March 2018 report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/HRC/37/68, para. 34).

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Defamation / Defamation campaign
  • Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Government response dates
24 June 2019
Government response content

Government responded in writing to the allegations of intimidation and reprisals against BBC Persian journalists indicating that the incidents mentioned are not related nor attributed to cooperation with the UN. The Government rejects as untrue the allegations that the persons mentioned were subject to any punitive, restrictive, reprisal or judicial measure because of their cooperation with the UN.

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
Yes
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
2
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2020
Follow up information provided in SG report 0
  1. The 2019 report of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/42/30, para. 59 and Annex I, para. 54–55) noted that journalists of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Persian service were allegedly subject to stigmatization and threats against family members for their statements at the Human Rights Council (see also IRN 29/2017; A/HRC/37/68, para. 34). 50

In his July 2019 report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran drew attention to the reprisals faced by staff and family of the BBC Persian service, in particular female staff, through personal and gendered attacks on social media (A/74/188, para. 25), addressed on 5 March 2020 by special procedures mandate holders (IRN 4/2020). On 11 March 2020, they noted that “Journalists working for the BBC Persian Service and other Farsi-language news outlets outside Iran have faced threats, criminal investigations, unlawful surveillance, freezing of assets, defamation and harassment by Iranian authorities. Several journalists have also been targeted for going public about the harassment and seeking protection from the UN.” 51

Followup Trends 0
Stayed same
Did the government respond? 0
No
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
  • Unclear
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
2024
Follow up information provided in SG report 1
  1. The case of stigmatization and threats against family members of journalists of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Persian service for the journalists’ statement at the Human Rights Council was included in the 2019 and 2020 reports of the Secretary General on reprisals.129 On 24 April 2024, special procedures mandate holders addressed the recent detention of family members of a BBC News Persian staff member by the Intelligence Service. The family members were allegedly interrogated about the whereabouts and motivations of the BBC journalist and threatened with solitary confinement. (IRN 7/2024). Mandate holders also addressed allegations of the conviction in absentia of ten current and former BBC News Persian journalists in February 2022 for the crime of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic”, that only become publicly known in February 2024. (IRN 7/2024).
  2. On 19 December 2023, the General Assembly in resolution 78/220 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran called upon the Iranian authorities to end reprisals against individuals who cooperate or attempt to cooperate with the United Nations human rights mechanisms.
  3. In its report to the Human Rights Council, the Fact Finding Mission on Iran thanked those who had contributed to the investigation by providing material and analysis, and particularly victims, their families, and witnesses, who had taken risks to give their first-hand accounts, adding that under no circumstances should anyone face reprisals for their cooperation with the mission. (A/HRC/55/67 para. 3). The fact-finding mission clarified that the names and details of those concerned had been withheld in the report due to fear of reprisals and that its initial protection assessment indicated that individuals who speak out about the human rights situation in Iran and who engage with United Nations mechanisms have been subjected to reprisals. (A/HRC/55/CRP.1, paras. 39 and 40).
Followup Trends 1
Deterioration/further reprisals
Date of follow up 1
24 April 2024
Did the government respond? 1
No
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 1
  • UN Special Procedures: UN Special Procedures - General