21
Sep11
Six Documentary Filmmakers Arrested “for Collaborating with BBC Persian”
by Garage
Iran has arrested at least six people who it claims were working clandestinely inside the country for the London-based BBC Persian television.
“A number of people collaborating with BBC Persian have been arrested in various places on Saturday night and have been handed over to the responsible authorities,” the state-run Young Journalists Club (YJC) quoted an unnamed source as saying.
The Farsi-language service of the BBC is blocked inside Iran but many people watch it through illegal rooftop satellite dishes. Iran occasionally disrupts its programmes by jamming satellite signals.
The YJC said the detainees have been supplying BBC Persian with information, footage, news and reports misrepresenting Iran. Opposition websites identified them as independent documentary film-makers Naser Saffarian, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Hadi Afarideh, Mohsen Shahrnazdar, Katayoun Shahabi and Mehrdad Zahedian.
“This network of anti-Iran people were collaborating with the BBC in a cover-up to fulfil the needs of the British secret service in exchange for big sums of money. The anti-Iran intentions of the channel and its collaborators are clear,” the YJC quoted a source involved in the arrests as saying.
Iran’s minister for culture and Islamic guidance, Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, confirmed the arrests. He said the detainees had been arrested by groups affiliated to Iran’s intelligence and security organisations.
“BBC Persian played a key role during [Iran's disputed 2009 presidential] elections and its aftermath. They led and provoked [the unrest] and problems occurred after [their intervention] and this is why their office in Tehran is closed down,” the semi-official Isna news agency quoted Hosseini as saying.
Sadeq Saba, head of BBC Persian, denied claims that the detainees were working for the channel. “The people said to be arrested have no connection with the BBC Persian,” he said. “They are independent documentary film-makers and we have shown films belonging to some of them after buying rights to broadcast them in the past but these films were never commissioned by BBC Persian and were produced independently.”
“We don’t have any office in Tehran, nor any official or unofficial collaborators,” he added.
News of the arrests coincided with the broadcast on Saturday night of a documentary by BBC Persian on the rise to power of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which shed light on some of his close confidants. Iran disrupted the broadcast by stepping up the jamming while it was shown on TV.
“Some people believe that the arrest of these people was Iran’s reaction to the broadcast of the documentary but the film was a result of our own research and no one from those who appear to have been arrested were involved in making it,” Saba said.
The Farsi-language service of the BBC is blocked inside Iran but many people watch it through illegal rooftop satellite dishes. Iran occasionally disrupts its programmes by jamming satellite signals.
The YJC said the detainees have been supplying BBC Persian with information, footage, news and reports misrepresenting Iran. Opposition websites identified them as independent documentary film-makers Naser Saffarian, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Hadi Afarideh, Mohsen Shahrnazdar, Katayoun Shahabi and Mehrdad Zahedian.
“This network of anti-Iran people were collaborating with the BBC in a cover-up to fulfil the needs of the British secret service in exchange for big sums of money. The anti-Iran intentions of the channel and its collaborators are clear,” the YJC quoted a source involved in the arrests as saying.
Iran’s minister for culture and Islamic guidance, Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, confirmed the arrests. He said the detainees had been arrested by groups affiliated to Iran’s intelligence and security organisations.
“BBC Persian played a key role during [Iran's disputed 2009 presidential] elections and its aftermath. They led and provoked [the unrest] and problems occurred after [their intervention] and this is why their office in Tehran is closed down,” the semi-official Isna news agency quoted Hosseini as saying.
Sadeq Saba, head of BBC Persian, denied claims that the detainees were working for the channel. “The people said to be arrested have no connection with the BBC Persian,” he said. “They are independent documentary film-makers and we have shown films belonging to some of them after buying rights to broadcast them in the past but these films were never commissioned by BBC Persian and were produced independently.”
“We don’t have any office in Tehran, nor any official or unofficial collaborators,” he added.
News of the arrests coincided with the broadcast on Saturday night of a documentary by BBC Persian on the rise to power of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which shed light on some of his close confidants. Iran disrupted the broadcast by stepping up the jamming while it was shown on TV.
“Some people believe that the arrest of these people was Iran’s reaction to the broadcast of the documentary but the film was a result of our own research and no one from those who appear to have been arrested were involved in making it,” Saba said.
http://www.rahana.org/archives/44483
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/19/iran-detains-filmmakers-bbc-persian
“I have received word today that my friend Katayoun Shahabi has been arrested for “collaboration” with the BBC, alongside five others, and is now detained in Evin prison. Katayoun is a wonderful human being, deeply humanitarian and wise, passionate about film and its power to change and influence the world for good. I am shocked to the core of my being. I implore anyone concerned with human rights and human dignity to stand and be counted in protest at these arrests. A global spotlight must shine hard on regime actions in Iran.” —Tobe Morgan, Chairman, CFI
Mojtaba Mir Tahmasebمجتبی میر طهماسب MaleFilm maker – Director – Worked on last Panahi film
17 Sep 2011: Arrested and presented as BBC collaborator when he is independent – Sent to Evin
Shahnam Bazdarشاهنام بازدار MaleDocumentarist
17 Sep 2011: Arrested and presented as BBC collaborator when he is independent – sent to Evin 209
Naser Safarianناصر صفریان MaleDocumentarist
17 Sep 2011: Arrested and presented as BBC collaborator when he is independent – Sent to Evin 209
Katayoun Shahabiکتایون شهابی FemaleFilm producer
17 Sep 2011: Arrested and presented as BBC collaborator when she is independent – Sent to Evin
Hadi Afaridehهادی آفریده MaleDocumentarist
17 Sep 2011: Arrested and presented as BBC collaborator when he is independent – Sent to Evin 209
Mohsen Shahrnazdarمحسن شهر نازدار MaleDocumentarist
17 Sep 2011: Arrested and presented as BBC collaborator when he is independent – Sent to Evin 209
Section 209 of Evin Prison in Iran is run by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic and except for the ministry agents no other government bodies have any control over the prison affairs. During the last years many of Iran political prisoners have died in this Section under torture and many others kept in it have ended up being executed by firing squads or hanged. Those currently held at the Section include political dissidents, human rights activists, students, trade union officials and workers, as well as many other Iranians from all walks of life.
Comments
Jesse Richards
Please sign our petition calling for their release here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/ministry-of-intelligence-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-release-the-filmmakers-arrested-for-collaborating-with-bbc-persian