BBC asks UN to condemn Iran allegations

8 December 2025

BBC asks UN to condemn Iran allegations

In a formal filing to the United Nations over the targeting of BBC News Persian staff and their families, the BBC World Service has expressed deep concern over Iran’s new and extreme language used in relation to BBC News Persian. It has urged the UN experts to condemn Iran’s conduct towards the BBC and Iran’s attempts to frame independent journalism as a form of “terrorism” and “warfare”.

In September 2025, Iran responded to the UN urgent appeal filed in June by the BBC World Service where the BBC raised concern with the escalation of harassment, targeting and threats towards the BBC News Persian staff – and their families in Iran – in the wake of the service’s reporting on the Iran-Israel conflict. The BBC also had urged the UN to take action after the publication of the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament in July this year about Iran’s transnational repression. The “Iran” report confirmed that in the previous 12-18 months there was an escalation of physical threats and consistent targeting of the UK-based Persian-language media organisations, whom Iran perceives as “deeply undermining of the Iranian regime”; that BBC News Persian was a “prominent target” of transnational repression from Iran; and that there was a “high risk of physical attacks” in the UK.

In its response to the UN, Iran justified its ongoing, unlawful actions towards BBC journalists. Using extreme language regarding the BBC for the first time in an official filing with the UN, Iran accused BBC News Persian in “media warfare”, “trying to target the security of the country by influencing the beliefs, culture, politics and behaviour of society”. Making unfounded allegations against BBC News Persian and its reporting, Iran called on the UN rapporteurs to “evaluate” the work of Western media such as the BBC as “media terrorism”. Iran’s response also marks the first time its government has officially acknowledged that legal action has been taken against BBC News Persian staff in Iran. Before this admission, attempts to obtain information on this from the judiciary in Iran have failed.

Tarik Kafala, Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, BBC World Service, said: “The extreme, highly alarming language the Islamic Republic of Iran has used in an official government filings with the UN demonstrates the Iranian authorities’ attitude towards independent journalism and our reporting of the country. We are deeply concerned that, instead of putting an end to the harassment and threats to our staff and their families in Iran, with this language Iran signals new forms of targeting them, now justifying their persecution with counter-terrorism and national security laws. We condemn these actions.”

Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, added: “The UN must condemn the escalating intimidation and persecution of media workers by the Iranian state. Journalists at BBC Persian are paying a huge personal price simply for doing their job. It takes enormous courage and the deepest sense of duty for a journalist to continue pursuing the truth in the face of relentless state repression. The NUJ stands in solidarity with journalists under threat and demands an end to the Iranian state’s campaign against press freedom and journalists’ rights.”

Counsel for the BBC World Service has today filed with the UN a submission, expressing alarm over the extreme language used by the Islamic Republic of Iran in relation to the BBC’s reporting and over Iran’s attempt to justify the ongoing unlawful actions towards BBC staff and their families. The submission urges the UN experts to condemn Iran’s conduct towards the BBC and Iran’s attempts to frame independent journalism as a form of terrorism and warfare. The BBC calls on the UN experts to request further information from Iran about the legal action against the BBC. It urges them to directly raise concern with Iran about efforts to characterise BBC journalism as “media terrorism” or “soft war” and about abusing national security and counter-terrorism laws to target and harass journalists and their families.

The BBC World Service has engaged with the UN over the protection of its Iranian journalists and their families since 2017, after Iran launched a national security criminal investigation into 152 BBC staff and former staff, along with an asset freeze against all of their assets in Iran, including those owned jointly with family members. Since then, a number of BBC News Persian journalists have been convicted in absentia in Iran for their reporting.

BBC News Persian is part of the BBC World Service.

When Water Burns: BBC Eye investigation into Georgia protests

1 December 2025

When Water Burns: BBC Eye investigation into Georgia protests

When Water Burns: BBC Eye investigates potential use of World War One chemical against anti-government demonstrators in Georgia

An investigation by the BBC World Service’s award-winning BBC Eye Investigations team has uncovered evidence suggesting that during protests in Tbilisi last year, the Georgian government used water cannons laced with a chemical weapon against its own citizens. In the documentary When Water Burns – The Fight for Georgia, the BBC Eye finds that anti-government demonstrators are likely to have been targeted with “camite”, a chemical agent first used during World War One.

Talking to BBC Eye, the protesters describe the effect of the water cannons used against them as a burning sensation. One protester, who says he suffered from skin irritation on his face for “at least a month”, shared a photograph showing his skin peeling. He said the water “didn’t only get you wet, it also burned your skin”.

The documentary reveals the results of a medical study shared exclusively with the BBC. Having interviewed nearly 350 protesters exposed to riot-control agents and water cannons, the study by Dr Konstantine Chakhunashvili – a doctor and anti-government protester who was among those sprayed by the cannons – showed that nearly half suffered longer-term effects (beyond 30 days) such as a cough, shortness of breath, and skin irritation. In some cases, changes were observed in the lungs and heart.

BBC Eye speaks with high-level whistleblowers from inside the Georgian riot police, who helped determine the likely identity of the chemical agents used in water cannons – information which the Georgian government has so far refused to reveal. A key part of the evidence is a classified inventory from the Special Tasks Department – the main riot-police force in Georgia – that lists two chemicals and gives instructions on how to mix them. The chemicals are not regular tear gas.

A former Head of Weaponry at the riot police tells the BBC he was asked to test a mixture of two chemicals in the water cannons whilst in post. Describing the gas as 10 times stronger than regular tear gas, he says it made it difficult to breathe and caused some of his colleagues to vomit.

After reviewing the BBC’s evidence – the medical study, witness statements, whistleblower interviews and human-rights reports – world-leading expert in toxicology and chemical weapons, Professor Christopher Holstege, at the University of Virginia, believes the gas could be camite. First used as a chemical weapon by French forces at the end of World War One, camite is an obsolete riot-control agent that was dropped due to the persistence of its impact. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr Alice Jill Edwards, says that, based on the BBC’s evidence, this could be classed an “experimental weapon”, and its use would be in violation of human-rights law.

Georgia’s ruling party, the Georgian Dream, described the allegation that unknown chemicals had been added to the water cannons as “deeply frivolous” and “absurd”. The party said that the country’s law enforcement had acted “within the bounds of the law and constitution” when responding to the “illegal actions of brutal criminals”.

When Water Burns – The Fight for Georgia is available in the UK on BBC iPlayer. It will also be part of the 1 December edition of the BBC Two current-affairs programme, Global Eye, which presents forensic journalism from BBC Eye and features reports from the BBC World Service’s global teams.

International audiences can watch the documentary on the BBC World Service YouTube channel.

Read the story on the BBC News website – via bbc.co.uk in the UK; and internationally – on BBC.com, BBC Studios global digital news platform.

NHK WORLD-JAPAN programme focus in December: Our Daily Bread, Japan Style

28 November 2025

NHK WORLD-JAPAN programme focus in December: Our Daily Bread, Japan Style

Our Daily Bread, Japan Style

JAPAN DELISH Bread December 6 Sat. 5:10/11:10/17:10/22:10 (UTC) Ever heard of an-pan?! From fruit sandwiches to curry-filled delights, Japanese bread is full of delicious surprises!
DOCUMENTARY 360 Scars of Agent Orange: 50 Years After the Vietnam War December 20 Sat. 0:10/6:10/12:10/18:10 (UTC) The use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War still scars the environment and people’s health. Filmmaker Sakata Masako has spent years documenting the victims of this toxic legacy.
Dining with the Chef Tuesdays 1:30/6:30/12:30/17:30/22:30 (UTC) Traditional techniques and resourceful recipes! Chefs Saito and Rika present their unique approaches to cooking delicious Japanese food.

RFA goes under the hammer

28 November 2025

RFA goes under the hammer

It seems that Radio Free Asia is unlikely ever to return to an operational state. It ceased operations on 31 October 2025 and the studios and offices in Washington DC are being cleared, with an auction of all equipment taking place. The sale is being handled by Rasmus, and the auction description reads: “A Washington, DC, international television and radio broadcast network is making a significant reduction in its operations and will liquidate all excess television, radio, studio production, field production, switching, broadcast, control room, editing, and equipment. 1000s of items of late model and new in box, high-end video, radio, dataroom, M&E, office, and technology equipment. 4 floors, multi-day phased removal. Assets will be professionally de-installed and available to the ground floor for easy removal.”

Rasmus handled the liquidation of RT America’s Washington DC operation in the summer of 2024.

The RFA offices appear in an auctioneer’s video. The catalogue is online at https://rasmus.com/auctions/galIdtyncHUDPy2PyoGz/a/Radio-Station-Washington–DC.

The auctioning of the entire RFA Washington DC facility has happened remarkably rapidly, given the relatively recent ending of operations. It is unclear whether this has been initiated by RFA itself – as an entity that is not a “wholly-owned” USAGM operation, or by USAGM pulling the plug on the broadcaster and taking the revenue generated by the sale.

Whichever the case, it seems highly unlikely that the organisation will ever be heard and seen again as to restart operations will require the setting up of an entirely new broadcast centre. The tens of millions of US tax dollars that have been invested in RFA over its almost 30 years existence have arguably been squandered with RFA’s closure and dismantling. The auction will generate only a fraction of the amounts spent on equipping the station over recent years.

Separately, it has been reported that the USAGM transmitting station in the Philippines is to be reactivated and will be carrying Radio Filipinas World Service from 1 December. The transmitting station was used for VoA and RFA broadcasts including Korean, Cambodian, Lao, Burmese, Khmer and Tibetan language services, as well as for Radio Filipinas, until it was switched off earlier this year.

Countdown begins for TRT International Children’s Media Summit 2025

24 November 2025

Countdown begins for TRT International Children’s Media Summit 2025

Since its inception, the TRT International Children’s Media Summit has brought together leading experts, academics, policymakers, and media professionals from around the world to address the evolving landscape of children’s media.

The 2025 edition of the summit, held under the theme “Children’s Media in the Digital Era: Empowering Families, Building Values”, will once again convene distinguished international figures to explore the most pressing issues shaping the future of children in today’s digital world.

Participants will examine key topics such as:
• the risks and opportunities children face in the digital ecosystem,
• ensuring safe, high-quality and value-driven content,
• strengthening family roles in media literacy,
• supporting cultural identity in an age of global digital influence, and
• building collaborative policies for the next generation.

The First Lady of Republic of Türkiye, Mrs. Emine Erdoğan is expected to grace the summit with her presence, highlighting Türkiye’s commitment to creating a safe and nurturing media environment for children.

Join global experts, policymakers, academics, and sector leaders as they discuss how to build a responsible, inclusive, and value-centred digital future for children.

For more information and registration, please visit: www.trtchildrensmedia.com

[Source: TRT press release]

ABC International puts sport front and centre in 2026

24 November 2025

ABC International puts sport front and centre in 2026

ABC International has announced an exciting slate of sports-focused programming for 2026, placing sport at the heart of its audience growth strategy for Asia and the Pacific.

At a livestreamed event in Sydney titled The Power of Sport, ABC International’s Head Claire M. Gorman outlined ambitious plans, including ongoing investment in high quality sports content for the ABC’s international screen, audio and digital platforms.

WATCH EVENT LIVESTREAM HERE

According to Gorman: “Today is an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the power of sport to build audiences and promote inclusion and equality. ABC International will continue to place sport at the heart of what we do, with exciting new content and programs coming in 2026.”

In addition to premium content, Gorman reaffirmed ABC International’s commitment to developing sports media programs in the Indo-Pacific region via its media development unit, ABC International Development (ABCID), which runs the successful programs Women in News and Sport (WINS) and Commentary and Mobile Journalism Program (CAMP).

Gorman said: “WINS turns ten in 2026 and over the decade, it has backed hundreds of women across Asia and the Pacific to succeed in sports media through targeted mentoring, training and networking. CAMP also creates digital storytelling opportunities on our platforms for women, First Nations Broadcasters and other under-represented voices across the Indo-Pacific.”

ABC INTERNATIONAL’S 2026 SLATE SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS

In 2026, ABC Australia will be the international home to leading Australian sports, including the AFLand AFLW (men and women’s Australian Football Leagues), the Melbourne Cup and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Also returning is weekly fan favourite That Pacific Sports Show with Tiana Penitani-Gray and Sam Wykes and Paul Kennedy’s popular series Play On.

Premiering on ABC Australia in 2026 is inspiring new AFL documentary Playing on a Prayer, which accompanies two young Muslim players as they try to get drafted into the AFL league.

ABC Radio Australia takes NRL to the Pacific and Timor-Leste in 2026 while weekly sports talk programs Fresh Off The Field and Nesian Footy will also return, featuring popular presenters Sam Wykes and Tinirau Arona.