NUJ condemns Iran’s “relentless intimidation” of journalists

There has been an acute escalation in the persecution of UK-based Iranian journalists – including scores of NUJ members – and their families.

For over a decade Iranian authorities have conducted a campaign of intimidation, harassment, and coercion against journalists working for BBC Persian services. In recent months proxy punishments of their parents and family members have intensified, with a striking increase in arbitrary interrogations, passport confiscations, travel bans, and various other threats.

Today the BBC issued a statement declaring its intention to lodge another complaint to the UN Human Rights Council Special Procedures.

Tim Davie, BBC director-general, said:

“In addition to enduring personal security threats from Iranian state actors operating beyond Iran’s borders, BBC News Persian journalists are now witnessing a disturbing rise in the persecution of their family members inside Iran. These acts are clearly designed to exploit family ties as a means of coercion – pressuring our journalists to abandon their work or return to Iran under false pretences.

We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately cease this campaign of intimidation and to stop targeting journalists with violence, threats, and psychological warfare. This persecution is a direct assault on press freedom and human rights. It must end now.”

The NUJ welcomes the BBC’s decision to call out Iranian authorities and supports the demand to stop silencing journalists. This escalation serves as a reminder that journalists working for several language services, including BBC Persian, pay a huge personal price simply for doing their job. The UK government must show that it takes seriously the transnational repression of journalists and media freedom by committing long-term to funding the BBC World Service, which is integral to impartial, credible, accountable reporting – particularly in authoritarian states. The annual wrangling between ministers and the BBC over the World Service budget must stop. As the NUJ BBC World Service branch said recently, cutting the World Service budget and output would be “music to the ears of dictators” and enemies of the free press around the world.

The government must also fulfil its welcome commitment to hold Iran accountable for the targeting of UK-based journalists. On 17 May three alleged Iranian spies were charged for serious offences including surveillance and intention to commit violence against journalists at Iran International.

Séamus Dooley, NUJ assistant general secretary, said:

“The Iranian authorities must immediately cease the relentless intimidation of journalists. We demand an end to the State campaign against press freedom and the violation of human rights through direct threats, and what has rightly been described as psychological warfare. All NUJ members stand in solidarity with those journalists under threat."

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