Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Guidance has criticized the headline of an Iranian daily reporting on the death of IRGC commander Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani in Syria, saying the description did not reflect appropriate respect for the figure and may be cause for disciplinary action by the Press Supervisory Board.
Several conservative media spoke out against the Royesh Mellat headline for referring to Hamedani’s death rather than his “martyrdom”. The headline stated: “Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani was killed in Syria.”
The spokesman for the culture ministry told IRNA on October 10 that while the incident may not have been “deliberate”, it was still the result of “negligence and ignorance leading to the preparation of a headline that is not compatible with the greater objectives of the country”.
“The use of the term ‘killed’ is not befitting a great commander who devoted at least four decades of his fruitful life to his country in various arenas of struggle: against anti-Revolutionary movements, the years of the Holy Defence and today in Iraq and Syria preventing the advances of the enemy in an advisory capacity,” Hossein Noushabadi said.
He stressed that with regard to Hamedani, the term martyrdom should have been used to emphasize the “spirituality, value and holiness” of his sacrifice.
He added that the Press Supervisory Board will soon review the matter.
