Iran: BBC Persian journalist prevented from flying to U.S.
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 20 January 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iran: BBC Persian journalist prevented from flying to U.S., 20 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c4292421.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 20, 2016
A reporter with the Persian Service of the BBC says she was prevented from flying to the United States because she was born in Iran.
The journalist, Rana Rahimpour, wrote on Twitter on January 19 that she was turned away from her flight at London's Heathrow airport because of a new regulation under which European Union citizens who are dual nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, or Sudan, or traveled to those countries in the past five years, need to apply for a visa.
Rahimpour said she was planning to visit relatives in New Jersey.
The new visa restrictions passed last month in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, have been criticized by some Iranians and others as "discriminatory."
Rahimpour, who was born in Iran, has a British passport.
She described the new rules as "very unfair."
"To be treated differently from other British citizens because of my Iranian heritage is very distressing," she was quoted as saying.
Based on reporting by Politico, The New York Times, and the BBC
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
