Simon Gass
Sir Simon Lawrance Gass, KCMG, CVO is the current British Ambassador to Iran. He arrived in post during the Spring of 2009 from his previous posting in Greece and was present during the June 2009 protests following the disputed re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
Following these events Simon Gass has posted his views from Tehran on the social networking site Twitter, commenting on the Iranian regime's record on human rights, political prisoners and freedom of speech. His 'tweets' are shared widely by Iranian reformists and diaspora across the web as well as being featured in mainstream media.[1] In January 2011, Simon Gass passed the 1000 follower mark, making him one of the most followed diplomats on Twitter.
In December 2010, Gass' digital activities caused mild uproar among Iranian politicians, who called for his expulsion, after he highlighted the case of human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh in a comment piece posted on the British Embassy in Iran website and the UK's Farsi language Facebook page. The statement was released on International Human Rights Day and criticised Iran's human rights record. [2] The Foreign and Commonwealth Office defended Gass' comments, which gained widespread approval from his Iranian reformist followers on Twitter.
Already Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2011 New Year Honours.[3]
References
- ^ Metro Online, Britain's Ambassador sends angry Tweet....
- ^ [1], http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11980421
- ^ "No. 59647". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=(help)). 31 December 2010.