Etemad Melli Newspaper Banned

While Iran’s state-run national television network (IRIB) on Sunday repeatedly aired a report quoting Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortezavi that Etemad Melli newspaper, operating under a license from presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi, was not published because of technical difficulties at the press, branch 13 of the administrative tribunal of government employees (Dadsaraye Karkonane Dolat) announced that the newspaper had been temporarily banned from publication.

The news of the publication ban of Etemad Melli was announced by Saham News and, quoting Hassan Karoubi, the son of Mehdi Karoubi, wrote, “On Sunday night, a representative of the prosecutor’s office announced the publication ban of Etemad Melli newspaper at the premises of the newspaper.”

On Sunday however, Saeed Mortezavi denied this report and announced that the reason for the non-publication of the newspaper was “problems at the press”.

Just an hour into the denial of the ban Tehran’s prosecutor, the interrogator of branch 13 of the administrative tribunal of government employees wrote a letter to the press deputy for the local media at the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, and issued the order to ban Etemad Melli. In the letter, the deputy minister is asked to prevent the publication of the newspaper in accordance with article 156 of the constitution and article 6 Para 2 of the press law as a measure to prevent the occurrence of a crime.

According to the letter of the tribunal, under the management of Javad Haghshenas, there were suits against Etemad Melli by virtue of “numerous private and public complaints”, while the newspaper “insisted on publishing illegally despite warnings by the prosecutor and repeated summons.”

According to the letter, Etemad Melli had published “material in violation of national security and the public interest of the country” as a result of which the ministry of guidance had to intervene.

On the other hand, the publishing manager of the newspaper who had held discussions with Tehran’s prosecutor on Sunday presented a different version of events and said, “They told me at the prosecutor’s office that the newspaper’s interview with Mr. Karoubi as the head of Etemad Melli party and its interviews with the head of the State Expediency Council were violations of article 6 paragraph 2 of the press law as a result of which the publication of the newspaper had to be suspended until further notice.” In his defense, Mohammad Javad Haghshehas said that he had protested the ban, adding, “because of the pace of recent events in society and the sensitivities of the public, some issues had not been observed in the course of the publication resulting in attention being drawn by the judiciary. But because of the atmosphere in the country and the publication of almost 1,000 issues of the newspaper in line with the national interests and the rights of citizens, the covenant with the Imam, the press law and directed policies, it is necessary that the temporary ban on the newspaper be reconsidered.”

In response to a question about the extent of private and public complaints against the newspaper which have led to the ban on the paper, the editor said, “with some 1,000 issues of the newspaper, there were about 60 complaints over some material, of which 75 percent related to government agencies, ministries and prominent personalities which conforms to the government budget, 20 percent of the complaints were by the public prosecutor and 5 percent, which amounts to just 3 complaints, were by legal entities.”

The ban on Etemad Melli which is the official newspaper of Etemad Melli party is the latest casualty of Mehdi Karoubi’s recent letter to the head of the Experts Assembly on Leadership (which oversees the work of the leader) over the sexual abuses that have said to have taken place in Iranian prisons. In recent days, Karoubi has been under pressure by conservatists over his expose of sexual abuses while he has vowed not to heed to them and has even threatened to publish even more details if the need be.

Support of the Militant Clerics Society

On the other hand, Militant Clerics Society (Majmae Rohaniyoon Mobarez) a prominent reformist clerical organization issued a statement in support of Karoubi, writing, “The definitive crimes that have been committed and which  have required action to protect the image and honor of the revolution and the system, have raised concerns even further, while we unfortunately remain witness today to show trials held in violation of the provisions of the constitution, the code of civil procedure, the Shariah and human consciousness, as waves of insults to people continue from official propaganda machinery of the state, who appear themselves to be the cause of these events.”

“Instead of an independent and detailed inquiry into what has been exposed …, which if found to be true would constitute the biggest offense ever committed against the people and the revolution, other crimes and the repeated insults against valuable personalities of the country which are respected by the public, and disparaging insults against Mr. Karoubi, continue” the statement reads.

The statement calls on the public not to remain silent over the way they are being treated and the illegal arrests, and in general the violations of religious principles and rights of the public, among which are also the crimes committed in detention centers. The statement also calls on clerics and sincere officials to follow up on these issues so that the key “criminal activities” are investigated and uprooted.