(WAN/IFEX) -On 21 July 1998, WAN protested the closure of two newspapers in Iran and the suspension of their executives. **For background see IFEX alerts of 16 July and 15 and 11 June 1998** In a letter to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, WAN President Bengt Braun expressed concern over the suspension and fine imposed by […]
(WAN/IFEX) -On 21 July 1998, WAN protested the closure of two newspapers in
Iran and the suspension of their executives.
**For background see IFEX alerts of 16 July and 15 and 11 June 1998**
In a letter to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, WAN President Bengt Braun
expressed concern over the suspension and fine imposed by the General Court
of Tehran on the popular daily “Jameh” and the misconduct warning by the
Ministry of Islamic Culture that forced the “Gozarech-e Rouz” daily to cease
publication.
He also protested the ruling that prevents “Jameh” editor Hamid-Reza
Jalai-Pour from editing any publication for one year, and the banning of
“Gozarech-e Rouz” director Mohammed Mahdavi Khorrami from owning or heading
any publication for three years. Mr. Khorrami was also fined 12 million
rials (US$ 4,000) for publishing “falsehoods and material and images
offending public decency.”
“We respectfully remind you that freedom of expression is a fundamental
human right recognised by numerous international conventions and urge you to
do everything in your power to overturn the sentences imposed on these
journalists”, Mr Braun wrote to President Khatami.
“We welcome recent indications of a minor relaxation in your government’s
attitude toward freedom of expression, particularly the ordering of a
re-trial in the case of journalist Morteza Firouzi, and respectfully urge
you to demonstrate your personal commitment to this fundamental human right
by ensuring that all actions against “Jameh” and “Gozarech-e Rouz”, and
their staff, are halted”, he wrote.
WAN, which represents 15,000 newspapers world-wide, defends and promotes
press freedom and the economic independence of newspapers as an essential
condition for that freedom.
The suspension and 16 million rial fine (US$ 5,300) imposed against “Jameh”
followed the court’s finding last month that it had revealed state secrets
and that Mr. Jalai-Pour had published articles that were “defamatory, untrue
and contrary to public moral order.”
The “Gozarech-e Rouz” announced after receiving the misconduct warning last
month that it would cease publication. The charges arose from articles
alleging that government leaders had transferred money abroad.
