In Iran, it has become impossible for a critic of the ruling system to express his views freely. First of all, it should be noted that the country’s radio and television operate under the control of Ali Khamenei. The media is directly linked to the state. In this sense, there are no private TV channels or radios in the country.
Hundreds of newspapers published in the country have become part of the rental network. Thus, the media is able to publish critical articles with the permission of the state. For example, it is impossible to find criticism of Ali Khamenei and his SEPAH forces. However, social media is able to change this system, albeit partially. Despite the Iranian government’s insistence on censorship, agencies operating abroad have a number of opportunities. The inability of pro-opposition media outlets to express their views freely in the country has provoked protests. For this reason, people prefer to obtain impartial and transparent information from media outlets operating abroad. The Tehran government is trying to suppress the neutral position of the media by various means.
One of the most popular opposition media in recent years is Amad News. The telegram channel is the most watched channel in Iran and has been repeatedly harassed for its professional journalistic stance. Misinformation provided by the government to the population finds its realistic position in this channel. In particular, the most complete and accurate information about the popular protest in 1396 is published by this media outlet. Amed News has long been headed by journalist Ruhullah Zam. He left France a few years ago to visit Iraq. He was later charged with a number of offenses and extradited to Iran. Iranian authorities describe the incident as a powerful intelligence achievement. Thus, the journalist will be executed on December 12, 2020. The move by the Iranian government has drawn strong international condemnation.
There have been various allegations that Shirin Najafi, who is suspected of spreading information about the arrest of Ruhullah Zamin and his time in Iraq, was sentenced to prison. A spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, Ghulam Hussein Ismaili, said Shirin Najafi, along with six others, had been sentenced to between two and 10 years in prison. No information has been released on Shirin Najafi’s whereabouts or the court he was sentenced to. Of course, this was not the first step taken by Iran to distract the public from Amad News. For example, journalist Ruhullah Zam was sentenced to death shortly afterwards, and his case was carried out without retrial. Afterward, a group of people living in Europe and posing as political opponents welcomed the execution in support of the Iranian government.
On the other hand, this issue is a sign of strong Persian nationalism. One of them is a Persian nationalist known as Peyman Arif. He, together with the authorities, tried to deny the execution of the journalist and even his journalistic activity. In fact, everything that happened is part of the government’s policy towards Persian nationalism.
