Masoud Dehnamaki
| Masoud Dehnamaki | |
|---|---|
Dehnamaki speaking at Amir Kabir University in 2016
|
|
| Born |
December 29, 1969 Ahar, Iran |
| Occupation | Director, Journalist and Politician |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Political party | Ansar-e-Hezbollah |
Masoud Dehnamaki (Persian: مسعود دهنمکی, was born 1969 in Ahar, East Azerbaijan) is an Iranian conservative activist, filmmaker and former journalist.
Dehnamaki says that he was a member of the decimated army that liberated Khoramshahr in 1982 — a decisive turning point in Iran-Iraq war. In his interview to CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, he said that the war front in Iran-Iraq war was a utopia and an ideal society for him.
These claims seem far fetched, as Mr. Dehnamaki would have been 13 years old at the time of liberation of Khoramshahr and for the duration of the war, not officially eligible for service.
Dehnamaki was mostly unknown until he started his activities with Ansar-e Hezbollah. Dehnamaki has been for years the General Commander of the notorious Ansar Hezbollah and a leader of Baseej vigilantes who aggressively attacked conferences and festivals. For years, Massoud Dehnamaki was known widely as the feared enforcer of conservative rules that restricted freedom for women and society. He used to break-up peaceful gatherings, attack speakers, and bring motor-cycle vigilantes into streets.
Dehnamaki was involved in the Tehran University student riots in July 1999. Several students who were protesting that night the closure of "Salam" and were subsequently beaten up by the attackers have told the investigation committee that Mr. Dehnamaki was among the ones who were directing the brutal night raid.
In 2002, Ansar e Hezbollah, hard-line group best known for disrupting reformist gatherings and beating up students declared a "holy war" to rid Iran of reformers who promote Western democracy and challenge the country's supreme leader. Masoud Dehnamaki, an ideologue with the group, also said that Iranians who try to appease Iran's enemies such as the United States "should be stopped."
He was a managing director of Do-Kouheh weekly, Jebheh weekly, Shalamcheh weekley, Ansar-e Hezbollah weekly Yalasarat, and Sobh magazine, all close to conservative ideology. "Shalamcheh" and "Jebheh" were closed by Tehran’s Press Court. Shalamcheh was banned by the Iranian court reportedly for "insulting a source of emulation".
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