{"id":16312,"date":"2026-04-24T23:59:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T20:33:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T17:03:45","slug":"sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between Real Whistleblowing and Defamation: Lessons from the Farhad Moghadam Salimi Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87_1 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/#What_legitimate_whistleblowing_looks_like\" >What legitimate whistleblowing looks like<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/#The_line_between_whistleblowing_and_defamation\" >The line between whistleblowing and defamation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/#What_the_Farhad_Moghadam_Salimi_case_shows\" >What the Farhad Moghadam Salimi case shows<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/#Why_the_case_matters_beyond_one_person\" >Why the case matters beyond one person<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/#Correspondence_bias_and_why_impartiality_matters\" >Correspondence bias, and why impartiality matters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/#In_summary\" >In summary<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/sotzani-vs-eftera-parvande-farhad-moghadam-salimi\/#Further_reading\" >Further reading<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Over the past decade, &#8220;whistleblowing&#8221; has grown considerably in Iran&#8217;s online space. Carried out within the framework of the law and supported by credible documentation, it is a valuable instrument for transparency and for fighting corruption. But when people publish accusations without evidence \u2014 on the basis of guesswork, supposition or even personal grievance, and without a court&#8217;s confirmation \u2014 the distinction between whistleblowing and defamation disappears. The case of Mohammad Jorjandi&#8217;s baseless accusations against Farhad Moghadam Salimi is an instructive example, and it ended with Jorjandi&#8217;s judicial conviction for defamation.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_legitimate_whistleblowing_looks_like\"><\/span>What legitimate whistleblowing looks like<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A genuine whistleblower holds documents and evidence that can be cited. They report the suspected matter to the legal authorities first and, where necessary, inform the public while preserving the dignity of those involved \u2014 saying that a person or company <em>may<\/em> be doing something wrong. They never issue a final verdict, and they do not accept the role of judge in the court of public opinion.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_line_between_whistleblowing_and_defamation\"><\/span>The line between whistleblowing and defamation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Whistleblowing<\/strong> rests on documents, aims to refer the matter to the legal authorities, preserves respect for the accused, and accepts that it may be mistaken.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Defamation<\/strong> rests on assertion, aims at character assassination, speaks in absolute terms, and leaves no room for the possibility of acquittal.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_Farhad_Moghadam_Salimi_case_shows\"><\/span>What the Farhad Moghadam Salimi case shows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>No legal evidence.<\/strong> The accuser held no citable document. Even the material presented \u2014 including a Telegram channel with 217 members, offered as proof of million-dollar money laundering \u2014 was found on expert examination to be fabricated and unrelated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A long record of accountability.<\/strong> Farhad Exchange has operated since 2004, has consistently answered to security and judicial authorities, and has never been convicted of any offence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The accuser avoided court.<\/strong> Despite repeated invitations to prove his claim before a judge, Mohammad Jorjandi declined to appear.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The final ruling.<\/strong> After reviewing the case, the court convicted Mohammad Jorjandi of defamation and publishing falsehoods. Jorjandi acknowledged this explicitly on video: &#8220;The judge asked why I called him a fraudster. On that point I accepted that we had committed defamation and published falsehoods. My sentence was a fine and discretionary lashes\u2026 but I am sentenced to one year of discretionary imprisonment and lashes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_the_case_matters_beyond_one_person\"><\/span>Why the case matters beyond one person<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The significance of this case is not limited to Farhad Moghadam Salimi. It is a public lesson in the kind of attack that independent entrepreneurs and producers are exposed to. The capital and reputation of people building businesses can easily become a plaything for the self-appointed righteous \u2014 those who pursue personal or commercial ends behind the mask of fighting corruption. That same pattern has pushed many Iranian startups to relocate to T\u00fcrkiye, the UAE and Europe.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Correspondence_bias_and_why_impartiality_matters\"><\/span>Correspondence bias, and why impartiality matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the concepts Farhad Moghadam Salimi raised in his response is correspondence bias: the mental tendency to attribute other people&#8217;s behaviour to their character, even when there are real external causes. This bias is why, when someone is acquitted in court, public opinion often still assumes they &#8220;got away with it somehow&#8221;. Being aware of it helps us judge more fairly.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_summary\"><\/span>In summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Genuine, legitimate whistleblowing contributes to transparency and to a healthier economy. But defamation and the publishing of falsehoods under the cover of whistleblowing not only destroys the accuser&#8217;s credibility \u2014 it can become a prosecutable offence, as it did in the Farhad Moghadam Salimi case, where Mohammad Jorjandi was convicted.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Further_reading\"><\/span>Further reading<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/farhad-moghadamsalimi-addressing-baseless-accusations\/\">official response to the baseless accusations<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/mahkoumiyat-jorjandi-hokm-dadgah\/\">conviction of Mohammad Jorjandi<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/farhad-moghadam-salimi-biography\/\">full biography of Farhad Moghadam Salimi<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The difference between legitimate whistleblowing and defamation in the context of the case of Mohammad Jarjandi&#8217;s baseless accusations against Farhad Moghadam Salimi \u2014 legal and social lessons after the court&#8217;s conviction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-articles-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16312\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farhadsalimi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}