New York, June 28, 2000 — A clerical court in Tehran has ordered the indefinite closure of one of the country’s last remaining pro-reform newspapers, bringing to 20 the number of papers closed by Iranian courts over the past two months. On Sunday, June 25, Iran’s Special Court for Clergy, a conservative tribunal that operates…
New York, May 5, 2000 —When Iran’s top cleric, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched a scathing tirade against the country’s pro-reform newspapers on April 20, journalists braced for the inevitable showdown. On previous occasions when the supreme leader had excoriated the press, the conservative-dominated judiciary responded with remarkable swiftness, shutting down newspapers and hauling journalists to…
Click here to read more about press freedom conditions in IRAN. New York, April 21, 2000—On April 19, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched a biting verbal attack against Iran’s reformist press, which continues to face fierce pressure from hard-line political forces. (Click here for CPJ’s latest protest letter.)
Click here to read more about press freedom conditions in IRAN New York, August 4, 2000 — Iranian parliamentarians will debate proposed amendments to the country’s press law when the new Majles (parliament) opens in Tehran on Sunday, according to international news reports. The current Majles is dominated by reformist delegates who broadly support President…
By Joel CampagnaRoyal succession and rubber-stamp elections set the tone for a year in which Middle Eastern and North African governments continued to restrict press freedoms through a combination of censorship, intimidation, and media monopoly. Ballots in Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen produced few surprises as longtime rulers stayed in power and maintained formidable obstacles…