Quick Facts
AriesBiography
Mohammad Sarafraz (Persian: محمد سرافراز; born 7 April 1961 in Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh, Iran) is an Iranian media executive who was head of IRIB from 2014 until his resignation in 2016.
He was the 6th Director-General of the IRIB and succeeded Ezatollah Zarghami on November 10, 2014. He holds a Ph.D in political sciences from Saint Joseph University of Beirut and MA from Imam Sadiq University . He is active in IRIB since 1993 in different posts and played a crucial role in launching Press TV, Hispan TV, al-Alam and iFilm television channels.
Early life
Mohammad Sarafraz was born on 7 April 1961 in Astaneh, Iran. He is son of Abolfazl Sarafraz who chaired Iran Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) from 1982 until 1990. He is the third and last son of the family, his two brothers were killed during Iran-Iraq War. His older brother, Javad was chief of staff of Mohammad Beheshti and was killed along him in Hafte Tir bombing. His other brother, Ali was also killed in Shalamcheh in 1987.
Careers in IRIB
Sarafraz is active in IRIB since 1993 and holds the position of Deputy Director-General in Foreign Affairs since 1995, being appointed by then Director-General Mohammad Hashemi. He played a crucial role in launching Press TV, Hispan TV, al-Alam and iFilm television channels.
On 1 November 2014, Sarafraz became new director-general of IRIB, succeeding Ezatollah Zarghami. He officially takes office on 10 November. On 11 May 2016, he resigned from his post due to illness.
Controversy
In 2013 European Union adopted restrictive measures against Sarafraz and recognized him as being associated with violating human rights and working with the Iranian security services and prosecutors to broadcast forced confessions of detainees.