Iranian diplomats blast BBC Persian over anti-Iran bias
Iranian officials have fired back at the state-funded British broadcaster BBC Persian, accusing it of seeking to undermine the Islamic Republic’s security.
An Iranian diplomat, Zahra Ershadi (picture below), responded passionately to comments made by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, David Kaye, after he publicly criticized Iran for allegedly restricting the activities of BBC Persian.
Ershadi questioned the reliability of a broadcasting company which is sustained by the British authorities, saying that Iran is the target of a media war which is planned, organized and funded by hostile governments.
She stressed that BBC Persian is responsible for “pumping hatred” and “fabricating news,” adding that they engage in “provoking and slandering” the Islamic Republic and its citizens.
Ershadi also expressed deep regret that the UN Special Rapporteur had avoided identifying these harmful traits and the misuse of media and internet networks. “Regardless of the mentioned conditions, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran seriously believes in providing an open and dynamic media environment for all its citizens,” Ershadi said.
The reaction came after Kaye confirmed he had received a complaint from the BBC on October 25 about the treatment of their journalists in Iran.BBC director general Tony Hall said Iran's action was "an unprecedented collective punishment of journalists.”
BBC Persian Television was launched in 2009 and is broadcast by satellite and is also available online. Its annual budget of £15 million (about US$19.5 million) was funded by the Foreign Office but claims to remain “editorially independent.”
Following Ershad’s comments, the Iranian embassy in London tweeted an example of BBC Persian’s controversial behavior in both English and Farsi.
The tweet said that BBC Persian had falsely reported a past tweet made by Iran’s UK Ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad addressing the US Ambassador to the UK, and had instead said that it was aimed at the former UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson.
The embassy demanded an “immediate retraction and apology” for the misattribution of the ambassador's statements, however BBC Persian did not comply with the embassy’s request. The embassy referred to the incident as “clear anti-Iran bias at the channel” in the same tweet.
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