Wikipedia probes its Persian website’s omission of Iranian officials’ crimes
October 12, 2019, 11:05 am

Wikipedia probes its Persian website’s omission of Iranian officials’ crimes

Justice for Iran accused Persian Wikipedia of “covering up for human rights violators in Iran by deleting statements by officials involved in crimes against humanity.” (Screenshot via Wikipedia)

Wikipedia is launching an investigation on whether the Persian language version of its website has been removing information on its pages that mentioned Iranian officials’ involvement in human rights violations, following reports by a London-based non-governmental human rights organization.

Justice for Iran accused Persian Wikipedia of “covering up for human rights violators in Iran by deleting statements by officials involved in crimes against humanity” in a statement on Thursday.

According to Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of a US-government funded radio channel, the organization called on Wikipedia’s administrators to “take serious measures to ensure that authoritarian states like Iran do not use Wikipedia as a tool to censor, repress, and escape punishment.”

Thursday’s statement came after some Wikipedia contributors accused members of the Persian website’s editorial team of editing pages on the website, whose content is created by its users, to remove any mention of crimes committed by officials from the Iranian regime.

The organization said that an entire subsection titled “Human Rights Violations” was removed from Wikipedia’s page on Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council Secretary and former chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGCs).

Rezaei was named in a list of Interpol’s most wanted persons in 2007 for his alleged role in the 1994 AMIA bombing, a terrorist attack on a Jewish community center in Argentina’s Buenos Aires.

According to Justice for Iran, “What makes this example highly revealing is the publication of a Wikipedia page in 2013 that alleges that Rezaei’s name was removed from Interpol’s list.” The page currently states that the former IRGC chief is no longer a wanted person.

Questions about the Persian editorial team’s objectivity were raised after a September 2018 seminar titled “Professional meeting on the application of Wikipedia tactics in communications” was held at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran.

According to Radio Farda, the ministry is responsible for censorship in Iran, and the omissions by Persian Wikipedia’s editorial team have shown how influential the Iranian government can be.

“Let’s put it this way, these people are taking on the role of the ministry of guidance in Wikipedia, in the sense that they can close an account, open another, give warnings, and so on. But they are stronger than the ministry,” the radio channel quoted a member of Persian Wikipedia’s editorial team as saying at last year’s seminar.

“They have the keys in their hands. It’s just like when the ministry prevents the publishing of a particular newspaper, so that it’s not published automatically,” the member said, according to Radio Farda.

According to an article titled “Persian Wikipedia: an independent source or a tool of the Iranian state?” that was published on OpenDemocracy, a few seminar attendees questioned the website’s objectivity.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.