BBC News Persian TV channel has marked 15 years on air by paying tribute to its staff amid on going threats from the Iranian authorities.
“We exist to serve audiences, and BBC Persian TV has consistently delivered for them; through times of uncertainty or change, day in, day out, as history is made, BBC Persian TV is there to record and report it,” said Liliane Landor, Director, BBC World Service.
“Furthermore, the team’s exceptional work is produced under the most extraordinary of circumstances as BBC News Persian colleagues and their families face ongoing harassment. We continue to condemn the threats whilst acknowledging this special 15th anniversary milestone.”
Journalists have faced threats from the Iranian authorities for over a decade, however events reached a peak in 2022 amid BBC News Persian coverage of protests at the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
The channel evolved out of the Persian radio service that has been on-air since 1940.
“On the day of the first broadcast, we were flooded with messages of support and excitement from our audience,” said head of programming Rozita Lotfi. “It was a Wednesday, and some were saying they had taken the day off to witness the launch I remember one audience member telling us that we proved Persian media too can have a TV channel with world-class standards.
“On the day the TV launched, none of us could have imagined that we won’t be able to return to Iran anymore and our safety, along with our families’ safety in Iran, would be jeopardised. We were soon to realise, each of us at BBC Persian, that this amazing achievement would come at a high personal cost for us.”
BBC News Persian reaches a weekly audience of 19.2 million people – in Iran, Afghanistan, US, Germany, Canada and other countries around the world. Over 11 million people watch BBC Persian TV every week, according to the latest BBC audience research.
A special programme, presented by BBC News Persian’s Farnaz Ghazizadeh and Jamal Mousavi, 15 Years with Persian TV, highlight some of the key coverage that the channel has brought to its audiences is available on demand.
