Shortly after the introduction of an amendment to the 1379 [2000] Press Law, which will add new restrictions for journalists, Commander Alireza Afshar, the newly appointed head of the Commission 10 on Political Parties, made several important announcements regarding this matter

In an interview with the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), Afshar, who also serves as deputy interior minister for political affairs, said, “Publications and other media outlets are forbidden from writing about parties or political groups that have not obtained a license from the Commission 10 on Political Parties. For this purpose, a list of all parties and political groups that have obtained a license will be sent to the press.”

Prior to Commander Afshar’s announcement, a government spokesperson revealed that the administration intends to propose an amendment to the Press Law, which will expand the law’s jurisdiction to cover news agencies and websites.

Entering a Prohibited Area

The Administration plans to amend the Press Law even though the issue was considered a taboo during the reign of reformists in legislative and executive branches. Citing a famous letter written by Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, barring reformist deputies from amending the Press Law, the Guardian Council ruled that any amendment or addition to the law is unconstitutional and against the Sharia [Islamic law].

The Ahmadinejad Administration is breaking the taboo by proposing a bill to amend the Press Law under the guise of “expanding the benefits of access to jury trials for news agencies and websites.”

Government Bill

According to a report by the semi-official Fars news agency, the bill author write in their introduction, “During the drafting and passage of the Press Law, virtual media and electronic publications were not as active and news agencies and website were not as expansive as they are today. As such, the legislator had not paid attention to legal benefits of and limits to the activities of these media types…. Uncertainty in defining electronic publications and the lack of a correct description of the aforementioned law caused problems and shortcomings in processing violations committed by websites and news agencies, official government news agencies as well private agencies that have obtained a legal license.”

If the new bill is passed, domestic websites and news agencies will be brought under the Press Law's jurisdiction. The proposed bill has already sparked reactions from various lawmakers. Tehran lawmaker Soheila Jelodarzadeh believes that the proposed bill will complete the circle of censorship around the press.