Amid increasing pressure on journalists and media outlets in Hormozgan Province, three media associations on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, issued a joint statement protesting what they described as the “negative performance” of Mehdi Doosti, the governor of the province. The statement calls for a change in the approach towards the media and journalists in Hormozgan.
A Hormozgan journalist explained to the Defending Free Flow Of Information (DeFFI) that the statement was issued following Mehdi Doosti’s actions, including filing multiple complaints against journalists and media outlets and proposing a plan in the Hormozgan Security Council to intensify judicial and economic pressures on the media and journalists in the province.
In a part of the statement, a copy of which was sent to DeFFI, the lack of interaction between the highest government institution in Hormozgan and the media was attributed to “a lack of proper understanding of the role and mission of the media and activists in this field.” The statement also warned that “fear of the media is a barrier to Hormozgan’s progress.”
The Hormozgan Journalists’ Association, the House of the Press and Media of Hormozgan, and the Hormozgan Press Employers’ Association addressed Mehdi Doosti in the joint statement, saying: “The tragedy is that instead of utilizing the vast potential of Hormozganis in various fields, especially in culture and media, you have chosen to silence local media, independent press activists, and sincere critics as a way to cover up managerial weaknesses and failures.” The three press associations emphasized that “forming a media clique, inviting journalists unfamiliar with the geography, culture, customs, and traditions of the people of Hormozgan, may act as a short-term palliative, but rest assured, these actions will never extinguish the light of performance criticism.”
Mehdi Doosti was appointed as the governor of Hormozgan in October 2021. Alongside his serious confrontation with critical media and journalists in the province, he has recently filed complaints against “Tejarat Jonoub media, the head of the ILNA news agency in Hormozgan, and the Bazaar news agency,” according to a Hormozgan journalist.