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Censored
March 6
Salam, CENSORED
An Iranian Special Clerical Court suspended the radical daily Salam for two days. The court gave no reason for the suspension, which came just before parliamentary elections. Journalists with the paper speculated that its suspension was retaliation for an interview in Salam criticizing the Council of Guardians, a body of clerics that oversees elections.
March 12
Bahar, CENSORED
The weekly newspaper Bahar was suspended by an order of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance less than a month after it started its publication. The State Press Review Board, a special press screening committee, suspended the weekly until a "court hearing the case gives it verdict," for violating the country's press laws. No further reasons were given for this action. However, Bahar reportedly published articles implying that the spiritual guide of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, interfered in the process of determining the eligibility of candidates for the parliamentary election of March 8. A week earlier, authorities suspended the daily Salam for publishing the same article.
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