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Rahman Hatfi (; 1941 – 10 July 1983), also known by the nickname Haider Mehrgan, was a journalist and left-wing political activist from Iran. He served as the editor of the Kayhan on the eve of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and later became the editor of Namah Mardom while being a member of the Tudeh Party of Iran. Hatfi was arrested in May 1983 and subsequently died under suspicious circumstances on July 10, 1983. One account suggests he was killed under torture in Towhid Prison, while another story claims he took his own life in his prison cell.
In February 1979, most of the headlines of Kayhan were his work, including the famous headline related to the salute to the military system by a group of Imperial Air Force deserters at Alavi School in front of Ruhollah Khomeini, which, according to the testimony of General Abbas Gharabaghi, the chief of staff at that time, broke the backbone of the imperial government. After publishing this headline, Gharabaghi, demanded that Kayhan either deny it in the next issue or await the newspaper's closure. Hatfi decided to obtain confirmation from Ruhollah Khomeini regarding this incident. In the next issue, Kayhan published this confirmation. This Kayhan headline was, in fact, the initiator of a series of events that led to the uprising of the Air Force deserters and the fall of the regime on February 11, 1979.
One of his former colleagues, Sadreddin Elahi, writes about him: "Rahman Hatfi was a journalist who had learned the characteristics of a professional job through experience to the highest degree. He had a very good understanding of the values of news and headlines. He was well acquainted with the intricacies of journalism and its twists and turns, thanks to his shining talent... In page layout and headline and photo selection, his taste was unparalleled." Mr. Asafi, quoting another of his colleagues, writes: "Rahman Hatfi was a noble and kind person. Unique. Jovial every day. I remember he used to pull my beard and say, 'How's the old man?' There isn't a single person today who holds a grudge against him."
His pseudonym and pen name were Haider Mehrgan.
BB Kasraei recounts a memory from his father, Siavash Kasrai: "We were in Afghanistan when they gave my father the news of Rahman Hatfi's death. He cried a lot, and every time we tried to console him, he said: 'Hatfi, was Morteza Keyvan. These two were from two different generations, but they resembled each other a lot. My liver is burning, these tears soothe me, although it does not heal my burnt liver.'"
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