Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the harassment of BBC Persian staff in London, and (2) reports that such staff's families in Iran have been (a) called in for questioning, (b) had their passports confiscated, and (c) threatened with consequences if their relatives continue to work for the BBC; and what representations they have made to the government of Iran about the treatment of journalists.

We condemn the judicial persecution of family members of employees and ex-employees of BBC Persian, and are deeply concerned by the reports of any threats against journalists in the UK. The British Government is committed to the promotion of media freedom which is vital to functioning societies and that journalists must be able to investigate and report as they see fit. We regularly raise human rights with the Iranian authorities at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues including restrictions on media freedom. On 29 January, the UK alongside Canada co-hosted the first official meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition in Geneva, a partnership of 35 countries working together to advocate the safety of journalists worldwide and to defend media freedom.