Tehran’s prosecutor general has said that a letter from David Cameron pleading for the release of a British-Iranian woman serving a five-year jail term in Iran on charges relating to national security was “confirmation that she had links with the UK government”. Guardian Oct 2017 [why no fuss?]
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s work for the BBC put her in danger. The BBC doesn’t want you to know this. It misdirects all the blame towards Boris Johnson instead.
The BBC are out to get Boris and behead the Brexit Leave campaign….as are his fellow Tories…who are Remoaners….
This is appalling. In "normal" times Boris Johnson wld have been sacked long ago. https://t.co/aHaIMIn6j3
— Anna Soubry MP (@Anna_Soubry) November 7, 2017
Boris apparently made a gaff when making a statement to the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee last week…
“When I look at what Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was doing, she was simply teaching people journalism as I understand it,” he said.
He added: “Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, nor her family, has been informed about what crime she has actually committed. And that I find extraordinary, incredible.”
The question is of course, one we don’t see the BBC asking, who told Boris that she was ‘teaching people journalism’?
There is a very good reason the BBC doesn’t ask because it opens up a whole can of worms…about the BBC’s role in this. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe worked for Thomson Reuters Foundation and BBC Media Action, both organisations whose mission is to subvert regimes around the world that they do not like and turn them into democratic, liberal, progressive Western type states using Journalism as the tool to do that…’soft power’….training journalists to oppose governments and to stir up and empower the people to take action against their governments. Any wonder countries like Iran try to shut down BBC services and are highly suspicious of people linked to these organisations? Imagine if Saudia Arabia were training journalists in the UK to spread the message that Islam and Sharia were the only moral and ethical forms of society and that Western democratic societies were decadent and ungodly…would we accept that? Oh hang on…
Iran really dislikes them and constantly harasses anyone connected to the BBC….
Several employees of an Iranian technology news website, including bloggers, have been given long jail terms for alleged links to the BBC.
Iranian authorities said this year that some of the employees had participated in projects run by the BBC and in its training courses, and received funds deriving from London. The Guardian understands at least one of the detainees was among the trainees of an award-winning journalism development programme run by the BBC World Service Trust from 2006 to 2010, called ZigZag.
BBC appeals to UN over Iran’s crackdown on journalists
The BBC will say it has no journalists in Iran but it sends ‘them’ over the airwaves into Iran to subvert the regime [and yet it complains about Russian interference in US democracy!]…
About 140 employees work for BBC Persian from outside Iran. The TV channel, which is broadcast from London, is loathed by the Iranian establishment and banned inside Iran, but millions of people, hungry for news not reported by the state-run channels, watch it via illegal satellite dishes.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a dual-national and thus the Iranians, who do not recognise dual nationality [to them she is Iranian], consider her supposed actions to be sedition….
“In 2014-2015, the intelligence service of the Revolutionary Guards in Kerman province identified and arrested members of one of the groups that during the Sedition conducted activities against the security of the country by designing websites and carrying out campaigns in the media,” Movahed said. “Some of the group were outside Iran, including the suspect Nazanin Zaghari.”
Boris you may think was briefed fully on the subject by his staff. Where might they have got the information? From her family perhaps? From Reuters January 2017:
British-Iranian aid worker sentenced to jail for ‘cooperation with BBC’ – family
The family of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been sentenced to five years in jail in Iran on undisclosed charges, said she has been accused by a Revolutionary Court of acting against national security by cooperating with the BBC.
The family said that at the appeal hearing two new accusations have been raised against her: being the head of recruitment for the BBC Persian service, and knowingly being married to a British spy.
Speaking in response to Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s jail sentence, Francesca Unsworth, director of the BBC World Service Group, said on Monday:
“Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has never worked for BBC Persian. She worked briefly [err… 18months] for BBC Media Action, our international development charity, in a junior administrative capacity.”
From the Guardian October 2017:
Dolatabadi added that Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s work training journalists at the BBC was behind her conviction, saying that she ran an online course that trained participants in encryption. The BBC’s Persian service is loathed by the Iranian establishment, which considers it a subversive arm of British intelligence service MI6.
“She ran a BBC Persian online journalism course which was aimed at recruiting and training people to spread propaganda against Iran.
“The training included how to use anonymous emails, how to create complex and long passwords as well as how to use encryption software.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the elite forces responsible for Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s arrest, had previously accused her of orchestrating a “soft overthrow” of the Islamic Republic.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was charged with offences related to demonstrations in 2009:
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 38-year-old mother, had already been sentenced to five years in prison for participating in anti-regime demonstrations in 2009, and last week was hit with further charges, carrying a possible 16-year prison term.
“These charges are linked to her work at BBC Media Action and at the Thomson Reuters Foundation,” said Thomson Reuters Foundation director Monique Villa.
“The accusation states that her charity work was a screen to overthrow the Iranian regime,” she added.
“This is a complete invention as the Thomson Reuters Foundation doesn’t work in Iran and has no programme or dealings with Iran.”
It is interesting that the BBC avoids all mention that the charges against her are linked to her employment with the BBC’s Media Action….it just doesn’t mention this…not a word today on the radio nor in any of the numerous reports on this issue….merely stating that she once worked for Media Action but making no connection between her imprisonment and that.
The BBC was happy however to drag in as many anti-Boris talking-heads as possible…we had James Kirkup, a Remainer and not a Boris fan (Boris’s nasty politics would hurt the Tories and Britain) who claimed Boris was unsackable as a ‘Leave’ big hitter….er…how then are Remainers Hammond and Rudd still in office after massively undermining May? The we had Malcolm Rifkind, another Remainer, who laid into Boris accusing him of failing to read his briefing and mastering detail…I would have thought the opposite…he had read his briefing and that was what he quoted to the committee….not Boris’ fault…but note he hasn’t blamed whoever briefed him. Then we had an ex-senior civil servant who almost word for word repeated what Rifkind had said but without the mocking laughter.
Adrian Chiles was desperately trying to get these people to say Boris should be sacked for his ‘crime’ and before he could do anymore ‘serious harm’….this is Chiles of course who is anti-Brexit and thinks UKIP is the British wing of the Nazi Party.
The chances are that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was involved in some way in training and supporting Iranian journalists both here in the UK and, via the Internet, in Iran when she worked for the BBC’s Media Action. Hence Boris’ comment…..after all her family revealed this was the charge that the Iranians had brought against her.
So Boris is repeating what the family said who were repeating what the Iranians told them and so it was hardly news to the Iranians. So unlikely, as the Iranians now admit, to have the slightest effect on her sentence.
But it was the BBC that put her in this position by nature of its work…..did they not warn her that she might be in danger of arrest if she visited Iran? Where is the BBC’s duty of care?
The BBC is bad enough, but Channel 4 News tonight was an absolute travesty. It is the most left wing and anti-British channel by far. How can you choose between Jon Snow, Matt Frei and Tristan Guru-Murthy for the most smug leftist? It is impossible.
Given what I now know (no thanks to the MSM), it strikes me that this lady was very unwise to travel to Iran. She does have Iranian nationality, and she must have known how Iran treats journalists like herself. She has been the victim of an injustice, but she was also the author of her own misfortune. Trying to make Boris Johnson the scapegoat really takes the biscuit.
You know, the really frightening thing about all this is that we, this little and sad to say not very influential band of brothers, are all that seems to be standing up for truth, fairness and democracy – the tenets upon which our society, the one I’d guess most of us grew up with, was once based. And we are quite literally a dying breed.
I get the feeling that some people are getting so desperate to stop Brexit, that they are trying anything and everything to destabalize and overthrow the Government, I just wish Boris and company would just keep their gobs shut and get on with the job.
It’s all too easy to be pessimistic I know, but what I meant by the comment above is that most on here will have read in other parts of BBBC that both the Guardian and Amnesty International not only knew of N Z-R’s activities in Iran 10 months ago but also of her links to the BBC, and that both published the facts. And if we can read it, why the flying fuck can’t Boris, other MPs and other parts of the media, and why don’t they make all this common knowledge more public? That, as I said, is the frightening bit, it’s the people’s Gotterdammerung – if Wagner doesn’t have too many alt-right vibes. And which of us should give a toss if he does.
Two or three years ago Iran arrested several journalists who had received foreign training and imprisoned them for being involved with trying to overthrow the government.
I haven’t checked any details about those happenings but even if the whole thing is nothing but politically invented lies if I were involved in training foreign journalists or had connections to two organisations known for being involved in such training the last thing I would do is go anywhere near Iran.
The fact that N Z-R’s English husband, I’ve no idea what line of work he is in, was refused a visa to travel to Iran should have been a huge red flag to her about risking going there but she obviously refused to take the hint.
That being the case I can only assume that N Z-R, who has dual English/Iranian Nationality, used an Iranian Passport in order to travel there without the need to obtain a visa. I am, of course, assuming that had she made use of her British Passport she too would have been refused a visa.
It doesn’t take too much thought to conclude that she would have been well aware of the risks she was taking and went ahead anyway hoping that by using her Iranian Passport her visit would go unnoticed.
With the current political tensions between the UK, the US and Iran it seems obvious that anybody linked to organisations linked very closely with both the former nations which specialised in training foreign journalists would be foolish to travel there and more especially if the used their Iranian Passport made making look like they were trying to hide their dual nationality links with the UK.
Being of Iranian origin N Z-R must have been well aware that the Iran Revolutionary Guard are a law unto themselves and arrest people at the slightest hint that they may have even the least connections to anything which may be viewed as the least bit subversive. She must have known the risks and still she decided to go ahead regardless of those risks, She has only herself to blame or her fate.
Boris was under fire in the commons yesterday and clarified what he said which is nothing like what is being reported.Also told the opposition they were playing politics instead of pointing the finger at Iran.
They are out to get him because May is being weakened by the hyped up harassment claims and they want to ensure Boris doesn’t get the job. All of the latest noise is concocted in my opinion to thwart the government and Brexit. Meanwhile not a word from the comrades about the murdered baby.
Complemented by Get Priti.
The BBC fighting now on two fronts.
Tricky.
Guess
One minute al ibc want more ethnic politicians and wimmin – next minute how quick can they get them sacked? Oh well another one off to the lords to sit with the ones with chips on their shoulders – the harry ramsden corner
The Left want more Leftists. If you are not on the Left you are the enemy. It is as simple as that, regardless of ethnicity or any other the other excuses they come up with for increasing the number of Leftists. They are, and always have been, totalitarians. The more power they get, the more totalitarian they become; just look at the way they are celebrating the Russian Revolution, probably the greatest single catastrophe the C20th. Yeah they are not simply remembering it, they are actually celebrating it. The Left care not one jot about the lives of others.
I often wonder, if when the cabinet sits, do they ever discuss the BBC and its remorseless attack on their government. I feel I’m watching a pantomime shouting “it’s behind you’. That’s shouting along with the rest of us on this site BTW.
Lib-Stasi main policies :Lib-supremacism-uber-alles
: So Brexit must fall, Trump must fall, Tories must fall
Operation “Boris-must fall” & “May must fall” are sub components
Collateral damage : white straight men, Christians, Venezuelan population, grooming gang victims etc.
Now I can understand BBC keeping quiet
cos the need to protect staff safety overrides the need for Truth
..But to allow their staff to brief against Boris and deflect attention to him is cynical.
They cannot send an on the record memo to staff saying that she worked in BBC capacity so lay off Boris
They could send a memo around saying
“we have other Iranian staff to protect, so we urge staff to act with caution and not fan the flames on this issue”
The attack on Boris is merely a small part of the BBC spearheading a of a multipronged attack on government, presumably to ‘make the way’ for Labour. It is accompanied by the attack on Priti over Israel and the attack on Damian Green over allegations of pornography. The latter, in turn, is part of the general destabilisation and atmosphere of ‘chaos’ the BBC (and other media) are trying to create with the ‘harrasment’ narrative and the ‘Paradise Papers’ story, which will always damage government more than the opposition. Just as CNN et al see themselves leading attempts to overthrow and/or impeach Trump, and the MSM in Germany (where ZDF and ARD fulfil the same (publicly-funded) role supporting Merkel, whose CDU managed only about one third of the votes in the recent election) BBC sees itself as the propaganda machine for a Lefty front.
The pink/red Media have stopped merely reporting news; they produce it as part of the political campaigns on behalf of political actors. They think that -since you’re virtue signalling- you can’t be challenged. They need to be disabused of that. notion.
Ok, the BBC loathe the Tories, and Jez has promised them a non-advisory blank cheque forever.
But have they thought this through properly?
They are all pretty well paid. They all like shiny things. They like to say things in public.
They are as likely to be targets or collateral damage as anyone.
Yes, May is dire. Boris in a buffoon and Priti is… well, who knows as yet.
But think of the alternatives.
Corbyn. McDonnell. Abbott. Thornbury….
It is possible the civil servants working with the BBC to sabotage the government* may reign them in, but I doubt it given the mob rule already unleashed.
Are the BBC so blinded by the idealistic zealotry to hurt their foes, they are prepared to strap on the vest and take the county with them?
Nuts.
*UPDATE
http://isthebbcbiased.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/the-secret-life-of-fco.html
Interesting stuff GW.
My take on it is that the BC (Broadcasting Corp, no longer prefixed by a lower case b ) are intent on toppling the Govt, replacing it with Lab, thus stopping Brexit. This is the deal Lab have struck with the BC). However unbeknown to Lab is the follow up plan to then replace Steptoe with a more controllable less extreme puppet; Perhaps Sadiq, Yvette, Chukka or even Keir.
What puzzles me all this is that the govt seem oblivious to this, they jump whenever the media say so, offering up endless apologies, squirming confessions, investigative commissions.
“Are the BBC so blinded by the idealistic zealotry to hurt their foes, they are prepared to strap on the vest and take the county with them?”
YES !
Franky- I will steal your idea and from now on it shall be al bc – bit abstract but it certainly isn’t British any more — or maybe the international building Corp. – al ibc
But its not just Boris is it:
UK: Fake news targets the Government
But why does this woman have dual Iranian nationality? Why would you still want to be linked to such an unreasonable and liberty free country? You want to make your life in the UK but you still want to leave a foot in the outdated dictatorial regime that you left – why?
This State Organ clearly sees Boris as a threat…………so they have decided to get their retaliation in first.
In this of all weeks when loyal and right thinking people of the nation turn their thoughts to Remembrance this pile of over paid DJ’s focus solely on undermining the Government.
Time for a bold move from the P.M. to re-assert control or move aside for someone who will.
The war is hotting up and I feel all of your pain.
Since the June referendum victory, the BBC and stasi MSM have entered onto a war footing. Every bit of dirt that can be dug, every mildly contentious issue amplified and every distortion further distorted to be employed to discredit, besmirch and humiliate all target individuals (tories and their agents) with the sole aim of bringing down the Tory Government. No ifs – no buts, this is their intention.
The Tory Remoaners will see their own Government fall rather than pluck themselves from the EU teat, playing a pro-active role in sedition and subversion in their desperation to remain part of the construct. Labour, opportunistic as they will always be can smell the blood and the unholy alliance is complete.
There is an avalanche of force being expended and I pray that May can reign in her gungho’s and hold the line (they HAVE to peddle harder – that is the way it is). Panic and infighting are the minor victories we should deny them – and re-focus back onto Brexit, the failure of which is their endgame.
Alan, spot on analysis by the way – the hypocrite BBC have blood on their hands.
What? BBC employees involved in trying to overthrow governments?
Who would have thought!
Apparently she was on holiday-in that oh so popular tourist destination-Iran! Yeah right.
The BBC and democracy is a contradiction in terms. They lobby 24/7 on behalf of a one Party state. If people vote the wrong way they seek to change them until they get the result they want. The sole justification of the BBC for the Left (other than as a lucrative source of employment) is a promoter of Leftist propaganda. They are partisan to their finger nails.
This is quite sad. A long time ago when I thought the BBC did news I’d have been puzzled why the BBC would criticise Boris rather than Iran, when it’s clearly Iran that’s at fault here. Why would the BBC encourage Iran to make more of this?
But since I realised the bias of the BBC it’s now possible to understand what is happening. The BBC is ant-Brexit and Boris is therefore a target, regardless of the consequences to Britain or this woman in stirring the pot. It doesn’t actually matter what he said, what he meant or even what Iran thought of it. Boris is bright enough to know this, hopefully May is strong enough to ignore it.
Just watched the 10 pm news – Trump and Putin in Vietnam and so called firestorm back in the US re the presidents remarks on Russian interference was first news item. Pretty sick of the BBC to put this item before the rememberance services held in the UK at 11:00 this morning. The BBC have no shame and are gutless a-holes