May 08, 2017
Rahmatollah Jamshidi Larijani (a.k.a Iraj Jamshidi), editor in chief of financial daily Asia was arrested on Monday 8 May as he was leaving his house in Tehran.
In an exclusive interview with Kayhan-London, Jamshidi’s son, Navid said: “ He was arrested and taken by three or four security agents and a police officer. We don’t know the reason for his arrest. He has been taken to Khark Street Court.” He added: “We don’t know who or which agency the arresting agents were from.”
Iraj Jamshidi has been a journalist since before the Islamic revolution in 1979. He and Khosrow Golsorkhi (journalist and a communist activist) belonged to a Marxist group. All 12 members of the group were arrested by the Iranian secret police, SAVAK, and charged with conspiring to kidnap the late Shah’s eldest son, Prince Reza Pahlavi in 1973. Jamshid, who had shown remorse for his actions in the court, was sentenced to death which was later reduced to 10 years imprisonment. Golsorkhi and Karamatollah Daneshian were the only two defendants in the case that were executed in 1975.
After the revolution of 1979, Jamshidi continued his career as a journalist, working first as the financial editor of Akhbar Daily, before moving to Abrar newspaper. The massive success of the financial page of Abrar prompted the paper to publish the daily Abrar Eqtesad, covering almost exclusivity financial news with Jamshidi as its editor in chief. Eventually, Jamshidi and his wife, Saqi Baqernia, started their own financial daily, Asia.
Jamshidi was arrested in July 2003 after his paper published a photograph of Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (MKO). He was charged with conspiring to undermine the regime, acting against national security, passing information to western secret services through foreign media, insulting Ayatollah Khomeini, bribery, publishing lies and agitating public opinion. He spent 400 days in solitary confinement, but was eventually released on bail in August 2004. The case was ultimately dropped.
The Association of Iranian Journalist condemned the arrest of Jamshidi and other journalists in 2003. It is rumoured that Jamshidi is a cousin of Ali, Sadeq and Fazel Larijani.
