After a record of 22 years in the publishing world, Zanan monthly magazine was shut ‎down by the revocation of its publishing permit for “publishing news and articles in a ‎manner that resulted in the denial of psychological security of society, for endangering ‎the spiritual, mental and psychological of its readers, for the portrayal that there was no ‎security in society and for downgrading the condition of women in the Islamic Republic ‎of Iran,” as quoted by insiders of the Tehran government.‎

Let us review the issues of Zanan over the past twelve months, and look at its story titles, ‎reports, articles, and the issues that made its cover photos. ‎

Of the twelve published issues, the titles of the key reports belonged to two special issues ‎that came out (Iranian New Year and International Women’s Day). Amongst the ‎remaining releases, the covers of seven issues portrayed the message that its readers ‎would not be always confronting the darkest and bitterest images in life and thus ‎displayed colorful and in contrast to some of the bitter issues of the day. The main report ‎of the social section of the magazine in nine of its issues, called the “dossier of the ‎month”, was an investigative report which had to be published on professional grounds. ‎How can one expect the journalists and reporters of Zanan to avoid writing about the ‎most important current issues of Iranian women in the country? The issues included the ‎bill for the protection of families, advocating temporary marriages, polygamy, limitations ‎on women applying to universities, stoning, and the events following the March 8 and ‎Khordad 22 (a peaceful women’s march last year) incidents. If such reporting is fake, ‎then what are the real issues of the day? And if analyzing and debating current issues ‎leads to social disruption, who is shall be held responsible for it: those who investigate ‎the issues and strive to show their causes, or those officials who are charged with ‎preventing them and other social ills?‎

Iranian journalists and writers and civic activists have in recent years come to learn of the ‎labels that thrown at them, such as political crimes, acts against national security, ‎disrupting public order, etc. These were the results of writings that carried political ‎semblance. With Zanan’s ban, writers must now be aware that even writing about social ‎issues can lead to charges such as engaging in acts against national security, or against ‎the psychological security of the public.‎

There is no doubt that some of the titles of the articles published by Zanan last year were ‎not the happiest ones, but what is one supposed to do when such unhappy events actually ‎exist and take place in the country? I ask this question as a journalist whose training and ‎thoughts have now been completely dislodged because of this strange state of events. SO ‎my question is that whether we as journalists have to ignore the negative events that go ‎on in our society? Must we then write fiction and lies? Must I ignore anything that can ‎shake me and jolt my life?‎

Our universities are in the hands of the authorities. Change the press laws so that critique ‎and analysis are no longer the virtues in the work of writers and journalists. We have not ‎heard any ideology preach that a journalist should turn his back to the issues around him. ‎

 

And so Zanan magazine is shut as well. But what are you going to do with what we have ‎learned from Zanan, and through experience?‎