Omid Memarian
Encyclopedia
Omid Memarian (born 1974~ ) is an Iran
ian journalist and blogger. He was awarded the Golden pen at the National Press Festival in Iran at 2001. He has been blog
ging since 2002, in English
and Persian
, and has written for Iranian daily newspapers such as Hayat-e No (New Life), Yas-e-no
(New Jasmin), Vaqaye-e Ettefaqiyeh (Occurring Events) and Sharq (or Shargh
= meaning East).
He is well known for his regular news analysis columns and blogs in English and Persian.
Memarian received his bachelor's degree in metallurgy
from the Islamic Azad University
in Karaj
. He was the editor of Volunteer Actors Quarterly which dealt with civil society issues.
In 2004, Memarian attempted to attend a conference on Iranian civil society in New York. He had obtained a US visa, but en route in Frankfurt, US authorities refused to allow him to board his flight, saying that he was on a No Fly List
. They provided no other information. He was arrested a few days after his return to Tehran.
, Memarian and other journalists who had been detained were subjected to torture and solitary confinement, but before their release they were coerced into signing a confession letter which stated that they had been detained under good conditions. Memarian has described his imprisonment and the interrogator's process of extracting a confession from him in interviews with National Public Radio.
. He has had op-ed pieces published in New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle
, Los Angeles Times
, Opendemocracy.net and Contra Costa Times
.
In 2005, he received the Human Rights Defender Award, Human Rights Watch's highest honor, for his courageous work as a human rights activist.
Omid Memarian was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2005-2006 and was a Rotary Peace Fellow
at the Journalism School in 2007-2009.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian journalist and blogger. He was awarded the Golden pen at the National Press Festival in Iran at 2001. He has been blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging since 2002, in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, and has written for Iranian daily newspapers such as Hayat-e No (New Life), Yas-e-no
Yas-e-no
Yas-e No was a reformist newspaper in Iran, unofficially an outlet of the Islamic Iran Participation Front.On February 18, 2004, the Iranian judiciary banned the newspaper, perhaps temporarily, only one day before the parliamentary election, after the paper published an open letter from some...
(New Jasmin), Vaqaye-e Ettefaqiyeh (Occurring Events) and Sharq (or Shargh
Shargh
Shargh is the most popular reformist newspaper in Iran. It is managed by Mehdi Rahmanian, and its chief editor was Mohammad Ghouchani in its first period of publication...
= meaning East).
He is well known for his regular news analysis columns and blogs in English and Persian.
Memarian received his bachelor's degree in metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
from the Islamic Azad University
Islamic Azad University
Islamic Azad University is a private chain of universities in Iran.Headquartered in Tehran, Iran, the Islamic Azad University was founded in 1982 and currently has an enrollment of 1.5 million students, making it the world's third largest...
in Karaj
Karaj
Karaj is a city in and the capital of Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,377,450, in 385,955 families, , making it the fifth-largest city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tabriz.) It is situated west of Tehran, at the foothills of the Alborz...
. He was the editor of Volunteer Actors Quarterly which dealt with civil society issues.
In 2004, Memarian attempted to attend a conference on Iranian civil society in New York. He had obtained a US visa, but en route in Frankfurt, US authorities refused to allow him to board his flight, saying that he was on a No Fly List
No Fly List
The No Fly List is a list, created and maintained by the United States government's Terrorist Screening Center , of people who are not permitted to board a commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the United States. The list has also been used to divert away from U.S. airspace aircraft not...
. They provided no other information. He was arrested a few days after his return to Tehran.
Arrest and detention
On 10 October, 2004, Memarian was arrested on the orders of the Tehran Prosecutor's Office's Ninth Chamber. He was detained for posting articles on several reformist newspapers, his blogs and online publications, and was charged with spreading a "dark picture of the country and stoking women's issues." Five days later the authorities also searched Memarian's home and confiscated his personal notes and computer. He was detained until mid-December 2004. According to Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, Memarian and other journalists who had been detained were subjected to torture and solitary confinement, but before their release they were coerced into signing a confession letter which stated that they had been detained under good conditions. Memarian has described his imprisonment and the interrogator's process of extracting a confession from him in interviews with National Public Radio.
Current work and awards
Memarian works as a freelance writer for the IPS (Inter Press Service) news agency Rooz Online, and BBC PersianBBC Persian
BBC Persian is the Persian language radio station and TV operated by the BBC which conveys the latest political, social, economical and sport news relevant to Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, and the world. Its headquarters are in London, United Kingdom...
. He has had op-ed pieces published in New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Opendemocracy.net and Contra Costa Times
Contra Costa Times
The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, U.S.. The paper serves Contra Costa and eastern Alameda counties, in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area...
.
In 2005, he received the Human Rights Defender Award, Human Rights Watch's highest honor, for his courageous work as a human rights activist.
Omid Memarian was a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2005-2006 and was a Rotary Peace Fellow
Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs...
at the Journalism School in 2007-2009.