Pirouz Davani (1961–1998~) ( fa, پیروز دوانی) is, or was, an

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

activist and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the ''Pirouz'' (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: ''"Victorious"'') newspaper. He disappeared on 28 August 1998 while leaving his residence in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. Some have suggested that Davani was murdered.''Iranian journalist Pirouz Davani, missing for 5 years, is glaring case of impunity''
by

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...

(Payvand, 29 August 2003)

Early career

Pirouz Davani joined the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

against the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...

as a youth. After the revolution succeeded he was arrested in 1981 "for his alleged links to the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

opposition" and was imprisoned. Following the 1988 mass execution of political prisoners, he is reported to have launched a campaign against the government. "In winter of 1991, Pirooz was again arrested for his activities and after spending six months in solitary confinement, was sentenced to four years in prison. He was released from prison in 1995". Following the election of president

Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...

he "established a cultural institute to publish and promote new interpretation of left's struggle for

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

in Iran", which "lead to creation of the Organisation of Unity for Democracy in Iran." He later established the ''Pirouz''

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

which was openly critical of the Government.

Disappearance

In September 1998, Davani's brother Majid announced that Davani had been "abducted" by " plainclothes officers" from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence.''Meanwhile, arbitrary arrests continue unabated''
(

Iran Press Service Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, 3 September 1998) Davani is thought to have been a victim of Iran's "chain murders" of Iranian dissidents, though his body has never been recovered and no records of imprisonment have ever been published. His disappearance occurred several months before the murders of four other Iranian

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established Political system, political or Organized religion, religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and ...

s in November 1998.''A dozen of prominent Iranian political prisoners observes hunger strike''
by Safa Haeri (

, 21 July 2004) In December 1998,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

issued a public statement that they had received reports that Davani's mother had been contacted anonymously and told her son had been killed. According to unconfirmed reports at the time, she suffered a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

upon hearing the news.''Amnesty International calls for independent investigation into killings''
(

, 3 December 1998) In November 2004,

reported:''Impunity continues to triumph in Iranian justice system, says RSF''
- Press Release,

(Reprint: IFEX, 25 November 2004) :''The intelligence ministry officially recognized in January 1999 that some of its agents were involved and announced dozens of arrests. Fifteen intelligence ministry agents were convicted in January 2001 for the murder of the Forouhars. Three were sentenced to death. The other 12 received prison sentences. Three other suspects were acquitted. The Supreme Court upheld the verdict but only two persons were sentenced to 15 years in prison. The authorities never tried to establish the circumstances of Davani's disappearance...''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davani, Pirooz 1961 births 1990s missing person cases Disappeared journalists Iranian activists Iranian communists Iranian journalists Iranian prisoners and detainees Iranian revolutionaries Kidnapped people Missing person cases in Iran People of the Iranian Revolution Prisoners and detainees of Iran Year of death missing

Early career

Disappearance

See also

References