ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has filed a complaint with the United Nations alleging persecution of its Farsi staff in Iran. BBC reported it had complained to the office Special Rapporteur David Kaye of the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner on Wednesday over 162 current staff and former BBC contributors charged with "acting against national security" in Iran. In August, the assets of the Farsi language staff were blocked and they were deprived of selling assets such as property and cars in Iran, detailed a BBC report. BBC noted the measures impacted families, depriving them of "basic human rights" – in violation of the Iranian constitution. The publicly-funded British broadcaster’s Director-General Tony Hall said it's "an unprecedented group punishment against journalists who only do their jobs. It's not just a campaign against Persian-speaking BBC staff, it's an act against basic human rights." Hall called on the Iranian government to immediately end its judicial actions. Many staff have been subjected to "fake news" accusing them of sexual impropriety or acts which are illegal in Iran, Reuters reported. Such acts could result in a death sentence in Iran. Iran has previously accused the BBC of inciting unrest after the disputed presidential election in 2009, saying it was broadcasting against the national interests of the Islamic Republic. Special Rapporteur Kaye promotes and protects the right to freedom of opinion and expression. BBC's Persian outlet broadcasts news to the world from the Persian world and its headquarters in London, reaching an estimated audience of 18 million per week.
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