Human Rights Groups Urge Azerbaijan to Investigate Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Jailed Women Journalists
February 7, 2026
Police Find Blood at Crime Scene in Search for Today Anchor Savannah Guthrie’s Missing Mother
February 7, 2026
February 07, 2026 – Iran –
Journalists working for BBC Persian say they have been subjected to surveillance and that the Iranian government is monitoring their communications, digital activity, and movements, and targeting their relatives inside Iran in an apparent effort to intimidate staff and discourage critical reporting on Iranian affairs. The disclosures were made in statements from BBC Persian personnel in early February 2026, amid ongoing concerns about the safety of diaspora media workers covering Iran.
According to BBC Persian journalists, Iranian security services have engaged in persistent monitoring of their professional and personal accounts, and have attempted to exert pressure by summoning or harassing family members who remain in Iran. One journalist described being contacted through social media by individuals claiming to be intelligence operatives and issuing veiled threats that “nothing in your life will be secure” unless they ceased reporting on sensitive topics.
Staff also say that Iranian authorities have attempted to track their online activity through sophisticated cyber surveillance and phishing tactics, and have disseminated false information about BBC Persian personnel — claims that align with years of documented efforts by Iranian intelligence to monitor critics abroad. The journalists assert that these tactics represent a concerted attempt to create fear and self-censorship within their community.
Relatives of some BBC Persian staff have reported being contacted by Iranian security forces for questioning, ostensibly about their family members’ activities overseas. These interactions — described as intimidating and intrusive — have left relatives fearful for their safety and reluctant to speak publicly, according to The Guardian and other reporting.
Rights advocates and media freedom organisations warn that such cross-border pressure tactics violate international norms and undermine freedom of expression. They note that journalists in exile frequently face transnational repression, wherein authoritarian governments target diaspora populations or press workers’ families to silence dissenting voices and hinder independent coverage.
The Iranian government has not publicly commented on allegations of monitoring BBC Persian staff or targeting their relatives. However, Tehran has historically charged journalists and media figures with national security offences and used vague counter-espionage laws to justify surveillance and prosecution of domestic and foreign media critics. These practices have drawn sustained criticism from human rights groups, who argue that such tactics extend beyond legitimate security concerns and amount to intimidation of independent journalism.
BBC Persian is a key source of news for audiences inside Iran and among the Iranian diaspora, providing coverage in Persian of political developments, human rights issues, and regional affairs. Journalists working for the service have long reported pressures from the Iranian state, including threats, digital harassment, and attempts to delegitimise their work through state-aligned media narratives.
The reports underscore broader challenges facing journalists who cover authoritarian governments and conflict zones, especially when their work involves exposing human rights abuses or political repression. Press freedom advocates say that international protections and asylum considerations should account for transnational threats, including digital surveillance and targeted harassment of journalists’ families.
As concerns mount over the safety of media workers across borders, BBC Persian’s experience highlights the evolving nature of risks faced by journalists operating in exile and the need for stronger global mechanisms to protect press freedom and journalist welfare.
Reference –
