ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An Iranian court has frozen the assets of more than 150 BBC Persian staff in the country, in what the British broadcaster is calling a “targeted attack.” A court order freezing the non-liquid assets of 152 BBC Persian staff, former staff, and contributors was issued by Shahid Moghadas Courthouse based in Tehran’s famous Evin prison, the BBC reported. "We deplore what appears to be a targeted attack on BBC Persian staff, former staff, and some contributors," said BBC World Service Director Francesca Unsworth in a statement on Tuesday. "It is appalling that anyone should suffer legal or financial consequences because of their association with the BBC." BBC Persian management accused Iran of using the order to silence impartial media. Media is subject to heavy censorship in Iran, which is one of the largest jailers of journalists, according to the media activist organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF). During President Hassan Rouhani’s first term as president, “at least 200 journalists and citizen-journalists were summoned, detained, and interrogated and at least 32 of them were given sentences ranging from three months to 16 years in prison,” RSF reported. Rouhani, deemed a moderate, won his second term in May of this year, appealing to progressive voters hoping for greater media freedom and release of political prisoners under his tenure. Amir Azimi, acting head of BBC Persian, said they would continue their work to deliver independent, trusted news. The BBC World Service has an audience of 13 million in Iran, according to the BBC who has urged Iranian authorities to reverse the order.
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