![Iranian dissident academic Hashem Aghajari, who was jailed for two years after being initially sentenced to death for blasphemy, is seen during an interview with AFP at his office in Tehran on June 1st, 2005. [Behrouz Mehri/AFP]](/cnmi_am/images/2019/11/25/21120-iran-dissident-media-700_496.webp)
An Iranian man who ran an opposition social media site was gunned down earlier this month in Istanbul, local media reported Monday (November 25th).
Massoud Molavi, said to be in his mid-30s, was murdered on the street while walking with a friend in the Sisli district of Istanbul on November 14th, according to the DHA news agency.
Bullet casings were found at the scene. CCTV footage, released by another agency, IHA, appeared to show the moment of the killing.
Molavi helped run a channel on Telegram called "Black Box", which published corruption allegations against members of the government, judiciary and intelligence services.
He claimed to have contacts within Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Turkish police told DHA that investigations were ongoing, and that they had no information at present on Molavi's background.
Iran's intelligence services are known to have a sizeable presence in neighbouring Turkey, where many exiled Iranians live.
In April 2017, the owner of a leading Persian-language satellite entertainment channel, GEM TV, was shot dead in his car by unknown individuals in Istanbul.
Said Karimian was a British citizen of Iranian origin, and ran GEM TV from Dubai, offering Western programmes to Persian-speaking audiences, including US game shows and Turkish soaps.
