The Iranian founder of a Farsi-language satellite television network and along with a Kuwaiti business partner were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Istanbul, reports said Sunday.
The shooting death late Saturday of Saeed Karimian of GEM TV came after an Iranian court reportedly sentenced him to prison in March for making "propaganda" against the country.
Doğan News Agency said that the two men were shot dead while driving in the Maslak area by individuals in another vehicle who blocked the path of their car, got out, and gunned them down.
The assailants got away in their vehicle which was then found burned out in the Istanbul district of Kemerburgaz. Police are still trying to find them, Doğan said.
Phone numbers for GEM rang unanswered Sunday.
In a statement on its Facebook page, GEM TV confirmed that Karimian had died but without making clear the circumstances of the death.
"With great sorrow and regret we announce the death of Said Karimian," it said, describing him as a "great man who with a pure and kind spirit spent his life with honesty and sincerity for dignity of Iran."
Based in Dubai, GEM-TV offers Western programs to Persian-speaking audiences that are not available in the Islamic Republic including U.S. game shows and Turkish soaps.
It is regarded with disdain by Tehran which sees such satellite channels as trying to culturally infiltrate the population and Westernize their lifestyle.
The group has been on a large expansion offensive, recently adding several new channels and recruiting Iranian artists and staff from inside and abroad.
