Editor-in-Chief of 'Shargh' Newspaper Arrested by Court Order in Mashhad

Mehdi Rahmanian, the editor-in-chief of the reformist newspaper 'Shargh', was arrested on Saturday, April 27, by a court order in Mashhad. The Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported that a bail amount had been set for Mr. Rahmanian, but since this bail was not secured, the judge ordered his detention. The report stated that the reason for summoning and interrogating the editor-in-chief of 'Shargh' was the publication of a post on the newspaper's social media page, and this was the second interrogation session for Mehdi Rahmanian. However, Fars News Agency provided additional details regarding Mr. Rahmanian's arrest, stating that 'Shargh' had used 'offensive phrases about the residents of Shahid Rajayi neighborhood in Mashhad' in an article titled 'From Praise to Neda'. The mentioned article, written by Shahrzad Hemmati, was published on April 8 and addressed social issues in one of the marginal and impoverished neighborhoods of Mashhad, which had recently gained attention due to the murder of Neda Alizadeh, a six-year-old Afghan girl. Fars highlighted a section of Ms. Hemmati's article that discussed Milan Alley 6 in the Qaleh Sakhteman neighborhood, quoting officials from the NGO 'Imam Ali Society' who stated that 'this alley does not even exist on the map... Women in the neighborhood are divided into two categories: those who never leave their homes under any circumstances, and those who do go out engage in prostitution.' The news agency further claimed that 'the publication of this article led to reactions and gatherings of women from this area as well as religious groups, ultimately resulting in a petition being signed in this regard.' ISNA also reported on statements made by the Deputy Prosecutor of Mashhad, confirming that the arrest of the editor-in-chief of 'Shargh' was related to this article. Hassan Heydari stated: 'The publication of an article in this newspaper that categorized women from Shahid Rajayi neighborhood in Mashhad, calling one group prostitutes, hurt their feelings and led to a complaint against this individual [the editor-in-chief of 'Shargh']. This judicial official added: 'We informed him through the prosecutor's office to compensate for this issue and to follow up within their organization and deal with the offending individual. This did not happen, and if they had sought to compensate for that article, today's outcome would not have occurred.' This claim comes despite 'Shargh' publishing a response and objections from some residents of 'Shahid Rajayi neighborhood and Shahid Bahonar neighborhood' regarding the mentioned article in its April 19 issue. However, the arrest of the editor-in-chief of 'Shargh' drew criticism from Mohammad Javad Haqshenas, the head of the Cultural and Social Commission of the Tehran City Council. Mr. Haqshenas wrote in a note published by ISNA: 'There was no reason or fear that would lead to his [Mehdi Rahmanian's] arrest,' and fundamentally, this action by the judicial authority is 'worthy of consideration.' He added: 'It is expected that the judiciary and its branches pay attention to legal methods regarding media and press and their status, and that the arrest of a recognized and reputable media manager due to content publication in a non-specialized court and at the investigation stage is surprising.' The newspaper 'Shargh' was established in Tehran in 2003, with Mohammad Gouchani as its editor-in-chief and Mohammad Atrianfar as its policy council president. The newspaper quickly established itself as one of the influential newspapers of the reform movement. However, 'Shargh' has faced many ups and downs over the years and has been suspended several times. The current editor-in-chief of this newspaper is Ahmad Gholami.