(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to the head of the magistracy, Ayatollah Shahroudi, RSF protested the banning of four reformist publications, “Mobine”, “Jamée-Madani”, “Peyam-é-Emrouz” and “Dorran-é-Emrouz”. Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, asked Shahroudi “to cancel this decision.” RSF recalled that “since 1 January 2000, conservative-dominated Iranian courts have suspended 37 newspapers, 35 of which have […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to the head of the magistracy, Ayatollah Shahroudi, RSF protested the banning of four reformist publications, “Mobine”, “Jamée-Madani”, “Peyam-é-Emrouz” and “Dorran-é-Emrouz”. Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, asked Shahroudi “to cancel this decision.” RSF recalled that “since 1 January 2000, conservative-dominated Iranian courts have suspended 37 newspapers, 35 of which have reformist leanings.” Moreover, twelve journalists are still detained in the country, making Iran the largest prison for journalists in the Middle East. RSF also expressed its concern about Hassan Youssefi Echkevari, jailed since 5 August (see IFEX alerts of 16 and 15 January 2001, 14 November, 17 and 11 October, 7 and 1 September and 8 August 2000).
According to information collected by RSF, on 18 March 2001 the daily “Dorran-é-Emrouz”, two weekly newspapers, “Mobine” and “Jamée-Madani”, and the monthly “Peyam-é-Emrouz” were ordered by the judiciary to stop publishing. Proceedings were launched against the four newspapers’ manager : Hamid-Reza Zahedi-Kohnegourabi of “Dorran-é-Emrouz”, Mohammad Gharibani of “Mobine”, Mahmoud Raoufi of “Jamée-Madani” and Mohammad Zahedi-Asl of “Peyam-é-Emrouz”.
Echkevari, theologian and contributor to now banned newspapers like “Adineh”, “Neshat” and “Iran-é-farda”, has been in jail since 5 August. He was prosecuted, like many other journalists and intellectuals, for his participation in a conference in Berlin in April on the subject of “Iran after the elections”. Because of this, he was accused of being a “threat to national security”. The verdict in his trial, held in camera between 7 and 15 October, was never made public. Accused of being a “mohareb” (fighter against God), Echkevari is liable to the death penalty.
