Rana Rahimpour (Persian: رعنا رحیمپور, born 9 January 1983) is an Iranian-British journalist who worked as the BBC Persian’s Lead Presenter and bilingual correspondent since 2008 until 2023.Rana Rahimpour married an Englishman in 2009 and has two children named Tara and Damon.
Rana Rahimpour | |
|---|---|
 Journalist Rana Rahimpour, 2023 | |
| Born | 9 January 1983 |
| Nationality |
|
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Website | https://www.instagram.com/r.rahimpour |
Life
editRahimpour was born on 9 January 1983 in Tehran, Iran. She was raised in Tehran. Rahimpour attended university in Iran and lived there for the first 25 years of her life. She studied English-Persian Translation at the Islamic Azad University and accounting at Al-Zahra University. She moved to London in 2008 to work for BBC Persian TV. Rahimpour left the BBC in order to ''have access to more platforms as a freelance journalist so to be a voice for the Iranians fighting for democracy.''[1][2] As one of the main anchors of BBC Persian TV, she was under constant attacks and threats by the Iranian regime.[3] Rana Rahimpour has faced death threats and had family members detained due to her work for the BBC.[4]
She has covered major stories including Iran's nuclear programme,[5] Iran's Presidential elections 2009 and its aftermath both for BBC Persian television and BBC World Service[6] and the Iranian Presidential election of 2013.[7][8] As a bilingual reporter, Rahimpour covers Iranian politics on multiple BBC platforms,[9] including the flagship news programme Newsnight.[10] Since the beginning of 2018, Rahimpour has appeared on News At Ten.[11] Rahimpour's Toothpaste piece for BBC Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondents was on the program's 2018 highlights.[12] She interviewed BBC's John Simpson for the 40th anniversary of Iranian Revolution of 1979.[13]
She is one of the outspoken advocates of free press and has been campaigning against the harassment of BBC Persian journalists and their family members in Iran.[14][15] In 2018, she addressed the United Nation's Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for an end to the intimidation of journalists by the Iranian authorities.[16][17]
In 2022 Rahimpour presented the Association for International Broadcasting's awards dinner giving "AIB"s to leading people and companies involved in International Broadcasting.[18]
Controversies
editIn January 2016, despite being British, Rahimpour was banned from travelling to the United States because of her Iranian nationality.[19][20][21]
References
edit- ^ "BBCPersian". Telegram. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ Ms Rana Rahimpour | This House Believes That the Islamic Republic of Iran Can Reform | 2/6 |, retrieved 1 August 2023
- ^ "Journalists Under Threat: Defiantly reporting on a censored state". Women in Journalism. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ Rahimpour, Rana (23 March 2022). "Threats of rape, death and arrest are everyday reality for BBC journalists". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ Rana Rahimpour (3 April 2015), BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour's take on Iran's nuclear deal with P5+1, retrieved 12 December 2016
- ^ "BBC NEWS | Middle East | Examining footage from Iran". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ Rana Rahimpour (7 June 2013). "BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour explains Iran's power structure". Retrieved 22 March 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ Rana Rahimpour (16 June 2013), BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour ahead of Iran's 2013 elex/ رعنا رحیم پور, retrieved 12 December 2016
- ^ Reporting Iran: Inside BBC Persian, retrieved 1 August 2023
- ^ FARDAD FARAHZAD (19 June 2013), Rana Rahimpour's take on Hasan Rouhani - BBC Newsnight, retrieved 12 December 2016
- ^ "What does the re-imposition of sanctions mean for the Iranians..." – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, Toothpaste, Mud Bricks and Sparkling Wine, Toothpaste in Tehran". BBC.
- ^ "روایت خبرنگار بیبیسی از پرواز آیتالله خمینی به ایران". BBC News فارسی. 1 February 2019.
- ^ Correspondent, Matthew Moore, Media. "Iran tries to silence BBC Persian by harassing journalists' families" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Rahimpour, Rana (23 March 2022). "Threats of rape, death and arrest are everyday reality for BBC journalists". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Rana Rahimpour, a journalist BBC Persian, addresses UN Human Rights Council" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "BBC UN appeal: Stop Iran harassing Persian service staff" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "The AIBs gala dinner | The AIBs". theaibs.tv. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (19 January 2016). "BBC journalist stopped from flying to US over UK-Iranian nationality". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "BBC journalist stopped from flying to America over 'dual British-Iranian citizenship'". The Independent. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "BBC journalist stopped from boarding plane to America over Iranian dual-nationality". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2016.