Iran has stepped up its campaign of death threats against journalists working in London for BBC Persian with warnings that they will be kidnapped and brought back to Iran if they refuse to quit their jobs.
Staff for the British broadcaster said intimidation, which had been going on for years, was mounting with threats, cyberbullying and pressure put on their Tehran-based families, members of whom were arrested and questioned by Iranian agents.
The latest campaign has included:
- One staffer receiving a doctored photo showing her mother covered in blood
- Death threats including one warning that a journalist would be "skinned alive"
- Threats against the children and spouses of journalists
- Officials removing relatives' travel documents to cut family contacts.
Lawyers acting on behalf of the journalists said the UN failed to respond to their urgent requests to condemn Iran for the harassment.
“We have asked them to make a public statement condemning Iranian actions … but there has been radio silence over the last six months despite the extreme situation,” said Caoilfhionn Gallagher, counsel for the BBC World Service.
The failure to confront Iranian excesses has encouraged other states to harass critics, she said.
She cited the actions of Belarus, which forced a Ryanair plane to divert and land in Minsk so that authorities could arrest a dissident journalist and his girlfriend. Western countries in that case accused Belarus of state piracy and on Thursday imposed wide-ranging economic sanctions.
Relatives of the journalists arrested during the campaign said Ministry of Intelligence officials had repeatedly cited the case of Ruhollah Zam, a journalist executed by Iran.
Mr Zam had been living in exile in France but was detained after travelling to Iraq last year. The regime accused him of inciting the 2017-18 protests on his website.
Kasra Naji, a correspondent for BBC News Persian, said journalists walking home from their London offices were looking over their shoulders for fear of reprisals.
He told of seeing a Twitter message in which he was described as a traitor and his family should be "taught a lesson". Female journalists have told of receiving rape threats.
“We have been thrust into this position of being vilified, threatened and persecuted so routinely that it has become a matter of life and death for us and our families,” he said.
Iran's campaign against BBC Persian started in earnest during the 2009 Iranian presidential election when the regime tried to jam the channel’s satellite broadcasts.
In 2017, Iranian authorities launched a criminal investigation into 152 current and former BBC Persian journalists, accusing them of conspiracy against national security and freezing their assets. Journalists at the London-based network Iran International have also been harassed.
The harassment of staff intensified when journalists covered the bloody purge of mass anti-government protests in November 2019.
The journalists are raising their case at the UN Human Rights Council, which is currently holding a three-week session.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
