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December 13, 2010 Special Dispatch No. 3442

Iranian Journalists Union Chairman Sent to Prison for 16 Months – For 'Harming Regime,' 'Insulting Ahmadinejad'

December 13, 2010
Iran | Special Dispatch No. 3442

Mashallah Shams Al-Waizeen, chairman of Iran's Journalists Union, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after being convicted of harming the regime and insulting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Shams Al-Waizeen was formerly editor of the Iranian dailies Jame'e, Tous, and asr-e azadegan, which were closed down by Iranian authorities. He once called for removing Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the Iranian daily Kayhan and an associate of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after Shariatmadari wrote that Bahrain was an integral part of Iran. Al-Waizeen has already served time in prison for his journalistic activity.

Yesterday, December 12, 2010, Shams Al-Waizeen told the French news agency AFP in Tehran that "the Tehran court has sentenced me to one year in prison for undermining the regime and giving interviews to foreign television channels and news agencies. I also got another four months for calling Ahmadinejad a megalomaniac in an interview with Al-Arabiya TV. The prosecutors translated it ["megalomaniac"] as 'insane,' and concluded that I had insulted the president."[1]

Following are excerpts from a debate between Shams Al-Waizeen and fellow Iranian political analyst Hassan Hanizadeh, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on September 24, 2008. In it, Shams Al-Waizeen says that "there is a serious regression" in Iran's free press, adding that "as a journalist, I have never seen what I see today."

To view this clip, visit http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/0/0/0/0/0/0/1870.


Shams Al-Waizeen: "There Is a Serious Regression" in Iran's Free Press; "As A Journalist, I Have Never Seen What I See Today"

Mashallah Shams Al-Waizeen: "There is a serious regression in Iranian media, particularly in the free press. Statistics point to the shortcomings and indeed, the failure of President Ahmadinejad and his government in managing the media in Iran. Many Iranian newspapers have been shut down during President Ahmadinejad's term in office – 25 newspapers and journals have been shut down. The passage of information in Iran is greatly obstructed. The Western media in Farsi has gained much popularity among Iranian viewers. Many people in Iran watch American TV, I'm sad to say. As a journalist, I have never seen what I see today." [...]

Hanizadeh: "In the Days Of President Khatami... Enthusiastic Young People Stepped Into the Media Fray and Began to Violate Taboos"

Hassan Hanizadeh: "People often say that in the days of President Khatami, Iranian society entered a period of futile media turmoil, a juvenile period. Some enthusiastic young people stepped into the media fray, and began to violate taboos: they directed all types of insults against the pillars of the Islamic Revolution, against the fighters, and even against people disabled in the Iran-Iraq war. Therefore, the judiciary restrained these people, who were newcomers to the media fray..."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "Newcomers?!"

Hanizadeh: "Yes."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "I'm a newcomer? I've been a journalist for 30 years."

Moderator: "Excuse me... Excuse me..."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "I've been a journalist for 30 years. What about you?"

Hanizadeh: "I have been a journalist for 35 years."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "Yeah, right."

Moderator: "It's over. He is one up on you..."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "One Hundred And Seventy Five Newspapers Have Been Shut Down By The Iranian Judiciary – All... Free, Independent Newspapers"

Hanizadeh: "How come we haven't seen a single newspaper being shut down during Ahmadinejad's term in office?"

Shams Al-Waizeen: "Twenty-five newspapers were shut down. I'm speaking on behalf of the Association for the Defense of Freedom of the Press."

Hanizadeh: "And I'm speaking on behalf of the Islamic Association of Journalists, of which I am vice president."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "That's a governmental institution."

Moderator: "Mr. Shams Al-Waizeen, you cannot be heard without a microphone. Without a microphone, your voice comes out distorted."

Hanizadeh: "I am presenting my point of view. Iranian society is in need of media characterized by honesty – media that respects the views of the people, as well as the government and its functioning. Unfortunately, this was not the case during President Khatami's term in office."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "The media was not honest? You are making accusations."

Hanizadeh: No, I am not making accusations. The juvenile media...

Shams Al-Waizeen: "You are accusing a group of journalists of being dishonest. First admit that you are making accusations, and then I will respond to you."

Hanizadeh: "These are not accusations. I'm presenting the reality, as a journalist, who has worked in this field more than anyone else."

Moderator: "Please pass the microphone over to Mr. Shams Al-Waizeen. You have one minute."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "I am asking brother Hanizadeh... Obviously, I don't recognize him as a journalist."

Moderator: "Please, you can't..."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "No, I don't recognize him... Professionally speaking..."

Moderator: "You are getting us into personal and legal issues."

Shams Al-Waizeen: True, but...

Moderator: "He is a journalist, and you are a journalist."

Shams Al-Waizeen: "There are official statistics that indicate what goes on in the media. One hundred and seventy five newspapers have been shut down by the Iranian judiciary. All these newspapers were free, independent newspapers, which belonged to known political parties with a specific political affiliation."

Endnotes:

[1] Aftab (Iran), December 11, 2010; AFP, December 12, 2010; see also MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 379, "Tension in Iran-Bahrain Relations After Kayhan Editor Claims Bahrain Is Inseparable Part of Iran," August 9, 2010, Tension in Iran-Bahrain Relations After Kayhan Editor Claims Bahrain Is Inseparable Part of Iran.

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