Editor of Hardline Newspaper Kayhan Appears in Court Following Government Complaints

The Kayhan newspaper reported that the editor-in-chief of the newspaper appeared in the Culture and Media Court on Tuesday, June 15, to respond to "multiple complaints" from the Rouhani government, including a complaint from the Minister of Justice. The newspaper announced in its Wednesday issue that various government sectors have filed "numerous complaints" against it in recent months, including a complaint from Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, accusing the newspaper of "spreading falsehoods with intent to harm." Kayhan also claimed that the Minister of Justice "lacks the legal standing to file a complaint, and Kayhan can respond to his complaint based on this lack of standing," but the editor-in-chief nonetheless responded to the complaint. According to the report, Kayhan's articles supporting Hassan Rouhani, the President, and members of his government regarding the "Hope" list in the tenth parliamentary elections were among the reasons for the Minister of Justice's complaint against the newspaper. Kayhan stated that the publication of an article titled "Report of a Catastrophe," which included statements by Alireza Zakani, a representative from Tehran in the ninth parliament, regarding "violations in gas and oil contracts and transactions," was another reason for the complaint against the newspaper. Alireza Zakani, a principlist representative who failed to secure a seat in the seventh parliamentary elections, had previously accused Hossein Fereydoun, the President's brother, of involvement in financial corruption in an interview before the elections, stating that meetings were held every two weeks in the presidential office "for brokering and connections with foreign entities." Kayhan is one of the most serious critics of Hassan Rouhani and has repeatedly criticized him and his government in harsh terms. In this context, on Tuesday, June 8, the headline and front-page photo of this newspaper made headlines, with at least one other newspaper stating that just printing it would lead to its closure. In this issue, Kayhan simultaneously featured its own photo alongside an image from the front page of the Iran newspaper depicting the face of Mohammad Reza Shajarian, as well as photos of Behrouz Vossoughi, Googoosh, and other figures with Shajarian. Alongside these photos, images of Hossein Fereydoun's meeting with Mostafa Tajzadeh after the release of this reformist figure were published. The editor-in-chief of Kayhan represents the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic at the newspaper, and Hossein Shariatmadari has held this position since 1993. Meanwhile, Kayhan has repeatedly criticized the Vienna nuclear agreement, which the Press Supervisory Board has deemed some of these criticisms as "contrary" to the National Security Council's resolutions and has warned the newspaper. Hassan Rouhani, the President, has previously criticized Kayhan and its "permanent immunity" and other media outlets critical of the government without naming them. For instance, on Sunday, October 29, 2015, he referred to some media as "secret police" and stated that from their writings, one could understand "who will be arrested tomorrow." During Hassan Rouhani's administration, some opposition publications, including the weekly 9 Dey, managed by Hamid Rasai, and the "Yal-Tharath al-Hussein" publication, the organ of Ansar Hezbollah, were suspended by the Press Supervisory Board, but after some time, they resumed publication by court order. In contrast, in recent years, publications that have had their licenses revoked by the Press Supervisory Board have typically been permanently barred from publication.