Written question asked by Louise Ellman (Labour) on Thursday, 8 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 13 March 2012. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 13 March 2012 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on the safety of BBC Persia television staff and their families.

Answer: We remain deeply concerned about the unacceptable harassment of BBC Persia staff by the Iranian authorities. Last month, BBC Director General Mark Thompson revealed that the Iranian regime is intimidating the family members of their staff in order to put pressure on them, a truly deplorable tactic. In a statement on 2 February, I called on the Iranian authorities to cease immediately their harassment of all journalists, including those working for BBC Persia. I have not discussed this issue with my Iranian counterpart, but we will continue to raise our concerns about Iran's appalling human rights record, including at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this month.

Secondary information