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Mahmud Sarabi

While the Press Supervision Board of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance ‎issued 11 permits for government affiliates, the permit of the monthly women’s magazine ‎Zanan run by Shahla Sherkat was suspended. The publication has been in business since ‎‎22 years ago.‎

In its last issue, the monthly published an interview with Foruz Rajayifar who views ‎herself as the leader of women martyrs, Esteshhadiyun Zan in Iran and reports on the ‎situation of women Basijis in the country. Government Fars news agency reported the ‎news of the shut down of the publication and quoted an informed source that Shahla ‎Sherkat had been summoned to a meeting of the Press Supervision Board where she was ‎told that the permit for Zanan was being suspended because it published news and reports ‎that deprived society of its psychological security, because it undermined the ‎psychological, mental, and spiritual health of its readers, and also because it portrayed an ‎image that there is no security in Iranian society. “The permit of this publication is ‎suspended because of its disruption of public rights and undermining revolutionary and ‎military institutions, including the Basij,” the source further said, adding that Zanan had ‎disregarded the repeated written and oral warnings that were given to it by the ‎supervisory body.‎

A suit has been filed at a judicial court against the publication. The ban on the publication ‎disregards the due process that has been identified in the press law for withholding the ‎permit of a publication. Kambiz Nowruzi, the attorney for the publication said, “Because ‎the managing editor of the publication has not been involved in the process of reviewing ‎and suspending the licence of the publication, the suspension is unlawful. This issue must ‎bed pursued in court.”‎

Shahla Sherkat herself believes that since no formal court order had been received by the ‎publication, Zanan would continue its work. She felt that perhaps the news was ‎announced to weaken the morale of the journalists working for the publication, and that it ‎had no proper basis.‎

The press deputy at the ministry of culture announced that licenses for two weeklies, ‎Safiran Noor were issued to Markaze Jahanie Oloom Eslami (World Organization for ‎Islamic Sciences) managed by Ramin Roghani. The other publications that received ‎licenses were: Shar monthly managed by Sanandaj’s municipality and under the ‎editorship of Ramin Roghani; Roobar monthly under licence of Rozhya Cultural Institute ‎‎(Moasese Farhangi Rozhya) edited by Bahman Zarei; two monthlies Pajoohe under ‎license from Teacher Training University managed by Reza Akbarian, and Hamrah ‎Sadegh quarterly licensed to Mohamm Ali Nekooyi, who is also its managing editor.‎

In addition the following publications too got publication permits: Kimiagaran quarterly ‎licensed to Mohamud Reza Zaraghi Isfahani who is also its editor; Modiriate Andishe ‎quarterly licensed to Amir Homayun Erami Mehrabad, who is also its editor; Falsafe ‎Islami quarterly licensed to Sadra al Motalehin Institute licensed to Reza Akbarian, who ‎is also its editor. The licenses of Tirandaz, Rahavard Noor, Rah-e Rast, Behdasht va ‎Salamat too were renewed.‎

The ministry of culture issued these new permits and renewed some older publications ‎despite its rejection of new independent publications, and the cancellation of some ‎existing ones in recent weeks. Ham-Mihan, Shargh, Arya, Zanan, Name are just some ‎examples of these publications. ‎

It should be noted that the license of Zanan was revoked at a time when Tehran is ‎unscrupulously suppressing the women’s movement in the country, and particularly the ‎One Million Signature Campaign for gender equality in Iranian laws. In a related news, ‎the ministry of culture recently issued instructions to the media asking them to refrain ‎from publishing news about women’s movement, the arrest of its members, and the ‎public and official dissatisfaction of the recent official disqualifications of candidates to ‎the forthcoming Majlis elections in March. The office of Tehran’s public prosecutor too ‎recently issued a harsh order warning publications to publish “positive and encouraging ‎news” about the country and demonstrate to the public that there is no “serious problem” ‎facing the country.‎