All Presidents After the Revolution Kept 'Censorship' Active

The report "The Writer's Blockage: The Story of Censorship in Iran" is one of the research projects of the Small Media company, examining the state of publishing and censorship of books in Iran from the 1979 Revolution to the presidency of Hassan Rouhani. This report, published in English, explores the various stages of book publication in the country, the differences and similarities in publishing during the presidential terms after the revolution, the status of book publication on women and ethnic and religious minorities, as well as the struggles of publishers in exile against censorship, particularly through electronic publishing. The report begins by noting the concerns of monarchs and clergy about the content of books throughout history and their desire to use them for their own interests, compares the genres of books published during the presidential terms after the revolution, and concludes by highlighting the continued existence of censorship and the dominance of red lines over writing and publishing during Hassan Rouhani's presidency. James Merchant, head of research at Small Media, states: "The roots of censorship in Iran are very deep. Although different presidents have managed this system in various ways, they have all kept the system active and have not been able to initiate an anti-censorship reform. As a result, the current system is essentially the same censorship that was applied in the early years of the revolution, perhaps sometimes with softer censors." I conducted an interview with James Merchant, head of research at Small Media, and Raha Zahedpour, one of the researchers of this report. In a press release, the Small Media Institute announced that the "Writer's Blockage" report provides a detailed picture of post-revolution publishing policies. What have these policies been? James Merchant: The Iranian Revolution initially promised to stop the tyranny and censorship of the Pahlavi regime, but this promise was broken as soon as the revolution succeeded and the clergy came to power. Pre-publication censorship, requiring authors and publishers to submit their works to state censors before publication, has been permanently implemented since 1982. Although the strictness of censors has changed with different governments, they have consistently attempted to silence political opponents and destroy culture. The subsidy system and government assistance have also played a significant role in post-revolution publishing. For many years, the government has directly influenced this industry by providing financial support to selected religious and academic publishers aligned with the regime's ideologies. The report discusses how Ahmadinejad's government "rendered the results of Mohammad Khatami's liberal government fruitless and brought the publishing industry to its knees." What were the main actions of Ahmadinejad's government in this regard? James Merchant: Ahmadinejad brought the most conservative Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance to power since the war. His censors not only kept books for months in the book department without granting permission but also deleted parties, kisses, and insults, and maintained a blacklist of politically dangerous authors who could be granted publication permission. This blacklist was compiled by a group of old agents from the Ministry of Intelligence, including Alireza Barzesh, a radical conservative who had previously been responsible for interrogating intellectuals identified by the Ministry of Intelligence as opponents of the regime. However, the severe censorship and unprecedented blacklist of Ahmadinejad's government is only part of the damage this government inflicted on Iran's publishing industry. The cancellation of paper subsidies and Western sanctions had a profound impact on Iran's publishing industry, leading to a rise in paper prices that decreased domestic book demand due to its expense. Following this economic crisis, many small publishers went out of business while the government continued to support a select group of publishers to publish content aligned with government policies. How did the quantity and content of books published in various fields differ during the presidencies of Ali Khamenei, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Raha Zahedpour: These periods must be examined carefully because, besides the government in power and its policies, the social and economic conditions of the time also play a role in changes. If you look at the overall picture of the number of book titles, you will see that the amount of book publication has increased over these thirty-plus years—with varying slopes at different times—which seems reasonable given the population increase, stability of social and political conditions after the war, and the increase in the number of publishers. In the early years of the revolution, social upheavals and the subsequent economic pressures from the Iran-Iraq war overshadowed the publishing industry, resulting in little significant growth. However, gradually, with the stabilization of social and economic conditions after the war, the slope of the number of published titles became steeper, and during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, known as the golden age of publishing and press, we witnessed the highest increase. At this point, we also saw the highest number of registered publishers. During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, a brief recession initially occurred, changes in the book administration took place, security and intelligence forces entered the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and then in the latter half of his presidency, the number of books significantly decreased due to the ministry's strictness and the cancellation of reprints of books that had been approved in previous governments. However, this number began to increase again, and this is where we encounter the phenomenon of book fabrication by publishers, which has been one of the biggest blows to Iran's publishing sector. How did the "Writer's Blockage" report study the state of publishing during Hassan Rouhani's two-year term? Were there changes during this period compared to Ahmadinejad's eight years? What changes? James Merchant: Our report shows that there are signs of cautious optimism regarding Rouhani's publishing policies. Specifically, the unit that Barzesh managed has been dismantled. The Ministry of Culture has started a more open pre-publication censorship and collaborates more with publishers to reach a consensus on contentious content instead of rejecting entire books. This has strengthened the confidence of many authors who previously thought their books could never be published in Iran under the previous government. Additionally, corruption seems to have decreased. The book fabrication that was used during Ahmadinejad's time has noticeably declined, and the government appears to be less ideologically driven in its support of publishers. For example, during Ahmadinejad's presidency, we saw war poetry collections and religious books being purchased by the government in large quantities. These books are not published in the same high volumes during Rouhani's administration. At the same time, the censorship system continues its work, suppressing political and social criticisms, stifling creativity, and hindering the growth of a vibrant literary culture. Some authors even say that the new censors during Rouhani are better equipped than before and have the ability to recognize metaphors and allegories, making them more dangerous than the censors during Ahmadinejad, who were sensitive to words like sex, wine, and insults. Rouhani has polished some of the sharp edges but has not offered any fundamental changes or reforms that could significantly increase the freedom of Iranian writers. If you were to describe the current state of book publishing in Iran based on this report, what would you say? James Merchant: The Iranian publishing industry is gradually emerging from the crisis it was immersed in during Ahmadinejad's time. However, it still suffers from limitations on the production of creative works, declining reading rates, and skyrocketing publishing prices. The censorship system has eased some pressure, but specific red lines regarding controversial political and social issues remain, seriously creating a barrier to freedom of expression. One of the strengths of the report is its regional examination of the state of publishing in Iran. How is the publishing situation in other provinces besides Tehran? Which provinces are more active and why? James Merchant: A large portion of Iran's publishing industry is concentrated in Tehran. Qom and Mashhad rank second after Tehran, mainly due to the presence of Islamic educational and pilgrimage centers in these areas. Cities like Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tabriz are largely marginalized, and their literary production is very limited. If Iran's book distribution system worked properly, this centralization might not be a major issue to get books published in a specific region to other parts of the country. However, the necessary infrastructure has concentrated in Tehran, and while there are 109 distribution centers in Tehran, Isfahan has only 11, and East Azerbaijan has only 2. This means that regional publishers face many challenges in marketing and distributing their products to other regions of the country, which hinders their growth. During your review period, what was the status of books published for ethnic-religious minorities and women? Raha Zahedpour: The number of active women in the publishing industry has been growing slowly and steadily, both as authors and translators as well as publishers. Women authors or translators have produced the most works in the categories of poetry and fiction. Their participation in producing technology and natural science books is almost equal to that of men, while their presence in religious books is the least. Currently, 23% of published books have been authored or translated by women. Ethnic discrimination and discrimination against linguistic minorities are clearly evident in the data from the Book House. Azerbaijani Turkish and Kurdish books together make up less than 1% of the titles in this database, despite these minorities constituting 30% of the population. Books from minorities spend more time awaiting approval. Publishers from ethnic minorities are very cautious to avoid being accused of separatism and actions against national security. For example, no book in the Balochi language has been registered in the Book House data, even though about 2 million Baloch people live in Iran. What content has been included in books published for children? Have you encountered any organized content in children's books? Raha Zahedpour: Unfortunately, the Book House data does not allow us to analyze content. Books are categorized with Dewey codes, and general classifications of books are specified. For example, we can compare the total number of children's books at different times, but accessing their content is not possible. Our report does not have an analysis in this regard. Has your report considered the preferences of publishers after the revolution? Has there been any change in this regard? And do you have any statistics about readers' preferences? James Merchant: The Book House data can only answer part of this question: this database does not record book sales statistics, only publication statistics are available. However, we can point to a few almost certain points and discuss a series of long-term trends. A clear trend is the increase in the publication of English books compared to Arabic ones. English and American literature and EFL education have shown continuous growth, while Arabic literature has seen a decline since the war. Since Ahmadinejad's presidency began, academic books in social sciences, natural sciences, and applied sciences have significantly increased, constituting a large portion of published titles. Interviewees in this report say this is likely a result of increased book fabrication rather than a real intellectual renaissance. Corruption has been widespread, and substandard scientific articles or often literary and scientific thefts have been published and officially registered as complete works. Although the Book House data is not sufficiently clear to depict the preferences of publishers and their changes, it can provide signs of the high level of corruption in Ahmadinejad's publishing industry. What role have Iranian publishers in exile played in the fight against government censorship of Persian books? Raha Zahedpour: Currently, small and large Iranian publishers are scattered around the world, but it can be said that many of them are not only unseen and unrecognized but also unable to influence inside the country. Their small number of books, lack of access to their readership, and absence of appropriate marketing strategies result in their books having very limited reach. In contrast to unsuccessful examples, there are publishers who have found new ways to connect with the world, particularly with Iran, using new technologies, and it can be said that after years of separation from their main audience, they have managed to bridge the gap between them and their authors. As you know, internet penetration rates in Iran are constantly increasing, and the use of smartphones is also becoming more widespread every day. Considering these factors, the best way to reach the audience inside Iran is to move towards digital publishing. E-books and audiobooks can easily be downloaded and used in Iran. Now, authors anywhere in the world can find their readers through blogs or social media, or better yet, through publishers' platforms and applications. Publishers like Nogham, Nakhoja, H&S Media, and Baran in Europe have taken significant steps in electronic publishing, and it should be noted that a very important step has been taken to deliver uncensored literature to the Iranian audience. Although payment issues still exist due to bank sanctions, the important thing is that the path has been opened and there is much room for growth.