March 1, 2010

Editorial

Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has banned Etemad (Trust) the daily newspaper. In an interview with the reporter from the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) Behrooz Behzadi, Etemad’s editor-in-chief said that the summons delivered to the publication from the Press Supervisory Board,  claimed that the newspaper violated article 6 of the constituion  and other than the ban on the newspaper, the case is being referred to Tehran’s deputy public prosecutor. Article 6 forbids:

1. Publication of unIslamic material or items that are injurious to the Islamic Republic
2. Spreading corruption or printing photographs that are lewd
3. Promoting decadence and wastefulness
4. Creating public discord among the social classes, religious groups or ethnic minorities
   
5. Inciting and encouraging individuals or groups to take action against national security inside or outside Iran
6. Divulging and publishing documents or memos that contain top secret and highly confidential material to the regime
7. Insulting Islam, religious figures or leaders of the Islamic Republic, especially the Supreme Leader
8. Slandering authorities, organizations and departments of the leadership and government either in publishing photographs or in cartoon form
9. Literary plagiarism and also quoting individuals, groups or media (inside or outside Iran) who are deviant to Islam in a way such that it promotes and publicizes them
10. Insulting the female sex by utilizing material or images that are not customary to the legal system. Also publishing material that creates divisions among men and women by referring to illegal feminist material
11. Spreading rumors and falsities
12. Publishing material that is contrary to the constitution

Also banned is Irandokht (Daughters of Iran) weekly magainze, a women’s magazine whose publishers are the Islamic Women’s Organization and whose managing director is Mohammad-Hossein Karrubi, son of opposition leader Mahdi Karrubi.

The reason for the banning of this publication is as of yet unclear. Irandokht’s editor-in-chief, Mohammad Ghoochani is among the highly respected veteran Iranian journalists who has headed up the editorial departments of other publications such as Shargh, Ham-Meehan, Shahrvand, Emrooz and Etemad’eh Melli. Ghoochani took over as editor in December 2009 and since then several of Irandokht’s journalists including prominent journalist have been imprisoned.

Previously , one of Ahmadinejad’s main advisers (in charge of Holocaust denial and the relocation of Israel) and now the deputy in charge of Press Supervisory Board at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, had warned Mrs. Fatemeh Karroubi who is the head of the Islamic Women’s Organization that if Irandokht continues to work with it’s present team of journalists, that it will lose it’s license all together.

Other than Etemad and Irandokht, Sina weekly has also been banned. Ramin claims that Irandokht and Sina have lost their publication license due to repeated offenses.