Iran arrests six working for BBC Farsi: report

TEHRAN: Iran has arrested five men and a woman for gathering information for the BBC's Farsi language service, a state television website reported, citing an informed source.

"These identified individuals were providing the BBC Farsi with information, films, and secret reports to paint a black picture of Iran and Iranians," the website reported.

According to the unnamed source -- who identified the detainees by their initials M.M.T., M.Z., N.S., H.A., M.Sh. and Miss K.Sh. -- the arrests had taken place Saturday night.

"The members of this covert cell of BBC Farsi were paid tens of thousands of dollars for each of their programmes and would then split the money among themselves," he was quoted as saying.

Accused by the regime of fuelling the unrest that broke out following the disputed 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the British broadcaster does not have an office for its Farsi service in Iran.

The Islamic republic prohibits any cooperation with radio and television networks that broadcast in Farsi and are not controlled by the regime, including the BBC and the Voice of America which are very popular in Iran.

However, there are currently more than 30 channels accessible via satellite that broadcast in Farsi from abroad.

Satellite channels are routinely scrambled by the authorities, but even regular operations by the police aimed at seizing satellite dishes has failed to make the devices vanish from Iranian rooftops.

All journalists employed by the foreign media must obtain accreditation from the ministry of culture in order to work in Iran.