In an interview via email with Al-Monitor, Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, a prominent reformist journalist shared his thoughts about President Hassan Rouhani’s promises on freedom of the press. Shamsolvaezin was the editor-in-chief and founder of several reformist dailies that were closed in a crackdown on the press between 1998 and 2000: the groundbreaking Kian, which was at one time at the forefront of intellectual and religious discourse in Iran, Jame'eh (later Tous), Neshat, and Asr-e Azadegan. He was imprisoned numerous times for his criticisms of government policies, the longest prison term being 2½ years spent in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. He is also a former recipient of the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) 2000 International Press Freedom award for courage and independence in reporting the news.
The interview:
