Ali Akbar Javanfekr

Ali Akbar Javanfekr (Persian: علی‌اکبر جوانفکر) (born 12 June 1959) is a senior Iranian politician and the presidential advisor for press affairs and as of 19 December 2010, he is the Managing-Director of IRNA since 1 November 2010 On 20 November 2011, he was sentenced to a year in prison on charges of "publishing materials contrary to Islamic norms"; this was later upheld by the court.

Career As chief executive of the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Javanfekr was reportedly "one of the most powerful figures in publicizing Iran's government policies and messages to the outside world". In December 2010, he led a delegation to Pakistan to discuss the use of media in reducing extremism. In March 2009, as an aide to president Ahmadinejad, he urged the US "to end sanctions and drop its support for Israel."

Arrest and case On 20 November 2011, Javanfekr was sentenced to a year in jail and suspended from journalism for three years for "publishing materials contrary to Islamic norms", questioning the Islamic Republic's compulsory dress code for women.

On 21 November 2011, he was handcuffed in a raid on his office in Tehran, in which tear gas was used. At least 32 other people were also arrested. He was later released. According to the AP news service, his arrest "appears to be part of an internal power struggle over influencing upcoming elections for parliament", slated for March 2012.

Javanfekr is at present (27 February 2012) Presidential Advisor of Press Affairs and according to IRNA heads the official Islamic Republic News Agency and the Iran Press and Cultural Institute affiliated to IRNA.