BBC NEWS – THE EDITORS – MARK THOMPSON: For those working for the BBC Persian service, interference and harassment from the Iranian authorities has become a challenging fact of life.
I am hugely proud of how they deal with that relentless pressure, and their unswerving commitment to delivering high quality, impartial journalism.
They arguably have the most difficult jobs in the BBC. They carry them out with unstinting dedication and in the knowledge that their work makes a critical difference to the lives of millions who crave access to free and accurate information, in a part of the world where it is scarce and extremely precious.
In recent months, we have witnessed increased levels of intimidation alongside disturbing new tactics. This includes an attempt to put pressure on those who work for BBC Persian outside Iran, by targeting family members who still live inside the country.
We remain extremely concerned about these actions by the Iranian authorities and the latest case only serves to underline this.
Last week the sister of a BBC Persian member of staff was arrested. She was detained and held in solitary confinement on unspecified charges at Evin Prison in Tehran. Although she has now been released on bail, her treatment was utterly deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Read on and comment » | Mark Thompson * | Friday, February 03, 2012
* Mark Thompson is the Director-General of the BBC
