Rooz has conducted an interview with journalist and sociologist Hossein Ghazian about the ‎recent crack down on reformist and independent publications. Ghazian believes, "You can ‎always find cracks to breathe through… but when even these little cracks are shut, society then ‎enters a radical and frightening waiting period." Below is an excerpt of this interview. ‎

Rooz (R): What effects does the suppression of the press have on society, journalists, and those ‎in power? What is the regime pursuing by shutting down a monthly like Zanan, which was ‎recently shut down after 16 years of publication?‎

Hossein Ghazian (HG): That a publication like Zanan was able to last for 16 years shows that ‎suppression, however sever, is never and can never be total and complete. You can always find ‎cracks to breathe through. The important thing is to learn how to best use the limited space that ‎the sociopolitical geography of life affords us. But when even these little cracks are shut, society ‎enters a radical and frightening waiting period, which can have very dangerous implications for ‎the future. Those in power are simple-mindedly happy that they have taken care of another ‎disturbing publication and conquered another one of the enemy's nests. What they are not aware ‎of is that although they have sprinkled dusts of despair on various groups, but they have deprived ‎themselves from civil society's mild, constructive criticism. The day that society begins to ‎protest, the protests will no longer be mild.‎

R: In your opinion, for what purpose did the government suspend Zanan? What are the roots of ‎such worries, and how realistic are they? ‎

HG: First of all, in my opinion, which runs contrary to the conventional wisdom, the root of ‎these worries is less political (meaning daily political issues). I don't even think that the ‎proximity of upcoming elections played a direct role in Zanan's suspension. Generally, Zanan's ‎articles did not deal with politics and were not directly threatening, but pointed to issues that ‎were root causes of many ills. In other words, Zanan was targeting the general condition of ‎Iranian society of which the particular government was just one manifestation. ‎

R: In your opinion, is it possible that publications such as Zanan are allowed to resume ‎publication under pressure from more moderate elements in the government?‎

HG: In my opinion, in the regime's current power structure, moderates like those you are ‎referring to do not have enough power to put up a slightest bit of resistance to the regime's ‎doings. ‎