Simon Gass
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Sir Simon Lawrance Gass KCMG CVO |
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| Director General, Political, Foreign & Commonwealth Office | |
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Assumed office January 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Sedwill |
| NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan | |
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In office 2011–2012 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Sedwill |
| Succeeded by | Maurits Jochems |
| British Ambassador to Iran | |
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In office 2009–2011 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Geoffrey Adams |
| Succeeded by | Dominick Chilcott |
| British Ambassador to Greece | |
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In office 2004–2009 |
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| Preceded by | Sir David Madden |
| Succeeded by | David Landsman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 November 1956 |
| Spouse(s) | Marianne Enid Stott (1980–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Reading |
Sir Simon Lawrance Gass KCMG CVO (born 2 November 1956) is a British diplomat who is Director General, Political, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
He was British Ambassador to Iran 2009–11. 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 Gass 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. In January 2011, 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 an article posted on the British Embassy in Iran website. The statement was released on International Human Rights Day and criticised Iran's human rights record. 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.
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Wikipedia