BBC Persian journalists say Iran monitoring them and targeting their families | Iran

Exiled Iranian journalists working for the BBC have been warned that their movements are being closely monitored by the state, with their families in Iran saying they are being interrogated and persecuted for their reporting.

Journalists said family members were threatened with arrest and asset seizure if their loved ones did not stop reporting on unrest in Iran.

The Guardian was told of cases where journalists’ parents were warned that Iranian security forces knew where and when journalists worked and the location of their desks in the newsroom.

Staff working at BBC Persian, which reaches 30 million people a week, said the pressure continues after the unrest that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people. There are calls for an independent investigation into the number of people killed.

Journalists were told that despite being on UK territory, they remained a target of Iranian security services. Some are taking extra security measures after receiving credible death and kidnapping threats.

Others have already been forced to quit due to financial pressures placed on their relatives.

One journalist, who spoke anonymously for fear that revealing his name would “put more pressure on my family”, said their father had been detained and warned by security forces that they were monitoring journalists abroad.

“Somehow they knew everything about me,” the journalist said. “They said they knew where I lived. They even gave my dad the address, the phone number, exactly where I sat in the newsroom.

“They knew exactly what program I was in and said ‘we’re not very happy with this program’.” They said their families had been warned that London was not safe.

There have been credible threats against Iranian journalists in the UK, including a reporter being stabbed outside his home in London. Three Iranians appeared in court last year Accused of targeting UK-based journalists. They deny the accusations.

The situation became even more critical after the internet was shut down in Iran following anti-government protests that started on January 8 and lasted for about two weeks. State authorities appear to have eased but not lifted internet restrictions recently after protests were violently suppressed by security forces.

BBC Persian TV economy correspondent Behrang Tajdin stated that his mother was detained and that she was asked about her work. He said he did not hear from him for three weeks during the government-imposed internet blackout.

“Some of the threats appear to be very serious and are made by individuals who are not residents of Iran, so they may have the means to influence what they say,” he said. “Since 2022, the Iranian regime appears to have been recruiting third-party criminals to try to harm Iranian journalists and activists on UK soil.

“I and many other BBC journalists may work in the same building, but we don’t live the same kind of life in terms of making sure we are completely safe. We have to take the situation seriously and that hasn’t abated. We need to be very, very careful.”

Tajdin said family members of his colleagues were threatened with having their business licenses revoked or forced into early retirement.

Another BBC reporter, who wished to remain anonymous, said they should be careful when searching for family members. “They did not leave us after these protests,” the journalist said. “After this protest, it is not safe to speak very clearly.

“Many of my colleagues and their families have already had their assets frozen. Some have had to leave the BBC. I know of at least two who left because their families were under really great pressure. [financial] They needed pressure and money.

The journalist said the tactic was designed to distract them from journalism and made them feel guilty. “They know how to push the mental pressure,” they said. “[My family] I have no choice because it is my choice to become a journalist and leave Iran; The pressure is on them.

“This is something I really can’t forgive myself for. Even sometimes when I’m happy and want to go [out] “You feel a little ashamed inside to live a normal life with your friends because you feel, okay, the family is under pressure, anything can happen to them, but I live freely here.”

Tajdin said: “I can’t count the number of times a colleague has come to me with teary eyes and said: ‘My father passed away, my mother passed away, and I couldn’t be there to say goodbye. I couldn’t be at their funeral.’ Or worse, they have a terrible terminal illness and can’t be around.

“I cannot stress this enough; each of us knows that our family members in Iran are being punished on our behalf.”