For other uses, see Rooz (disambiguation)

Rooz (disambiguation)

Rooz can mean:*Rooz: a news website in Persian and English, "Rooz" meaning "Day" in the Persian language*Rooz , the third album by Cornish folk band Dalla...

Rooz is a 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 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...

 news website. It is mostly staffed by exiled Iranian journalists including Masoud Behnoud, Ebrahim Nabavi

Ebrahim Nabavi

Seyyed Ebrahim Nabavi is a prolific Iranian satirist, writer, diarist, and researcher. , he is the most widely known and active Iranian satirist, currently living in Belgium...

 and Nikahang Kowsar

Nikahang Kowsar

Nikahang Kowsar, also known as Nik Kowsar is an Iranian cartoonist, journalist, and blogger, currently living in Toronto, Canada. Kowsar was also a reformist candidate for the second term of city council of Tehran in 2003, an election won by the conservative candidates of Abadgaran.He studied...

 with occasional articles by activists and journalists inside Iran, including Shirin Ebadi

Shirin Ebadi

Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...

 and Ahmad Zeidabadi

Ahmad Zeidabadi

Ahmad Zeidabadi is an Iranian journalist, academic, writer and political analyst and the secretary general of Office for Strengthening Unity. He is one of the notable figures of the Iranian reform movement....

. Another contributor is the Hossein Derakhshan

Hossein Derakhshan

Hossein Derakhshan , also known as Hoder, is an Iranian blogger. He is credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and is called the father of Persian blogging by many journalists. He also helped to promote podcasting in Iran...

, who has been under arrest in Tehran since 1 November 2008.

It was first published on the web on May 10, 2005. It is published by "Iran Gooya

Gooya

Gooya is a Persian-language website started by Belgium-based journalist Farshad Bayan in 1998.At that time, there were a few Iran-related websites and most Persian media did not have online editions. Manually prepared electronic copies of popular Persian journals , such as the magazine Payam-e...

" (registered in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

).

Controversy

• Critics of the website argue that since it is funded by Hivos
  Hivos
  Hivos is a Dutch organization for development co-inspired by humanist values. Hivos provides financial and political support to over 800 partner organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Southeastern Europe...
  
  , a Dutch organization which in turn is funded by the government of Netherlands
  Netherlands
  The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
  
  , it works in the interest of that nation, and does not represent factual accuracy of the events.

• In November 2006, Hossein Derakhshan
  Hossein Derakhshan
  Hossein Derakhshan , also known as Hoder, is an Iranian blogger. He is credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and is called the father of Persian blogging by many journalists. He also helped to promote podcasting in Iran...
  
   who maintained the Rooz website claimed on his blog that he was accused of working for the Islamic Republic government and therefore not paid for a year by Rooz. Furthermore he hoped that Hivos, a Dutch organization that helps to fund for Rooz, would pressure them to allow more freedom of speech to their staff. In response, Nikahang Kowsar
  Nikahang Kowsar
  Nikahang Kowsar, also known as Nik Kowsar is an Iranian cartoonist, journalist, and blogger, currently living in Toronto, Canada. Kowsar was also a reformist candidate for the second term of city council of Tehran in 2003, an election won by the conservative candidates of Abadgaran.He studied...
  
   claimed that Derakhshan has taken the website "hostage" and that he demands "ransom", and asked director Hossein Bastani to confront Derakhshan.