Journalists' Guild: They Want to Replace Us with Another Organization

The Iranian Journalists' Guild issued a statement expressing regret over the Ministry of Labor's holding of orientation sessions for the 'creation of a substitute organization for the Iranian Journalists' Guild.' The guild described these actions by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare as 'opportunistic' and urged the ministry to refrain from 'interfering in labor organizations' affairs and to consider the domestic and international consequences of its actions. According to the Asr Iran website, on Sunday, February 19, the Iranian Journalists' Guild accused the Ministry of Labor of inviting members of the guild and non-member journalists 'under the pretext' of consulting and obtaining the opinions of journalists to hold orientation sessions for 'creating a substitute organization for the Iranian Journalists' Guild.' The guild stated that this action is taking place while the Ministry of Labor has been tasked by President Hassan Rouhani to facilitate the holding of a general assembly for the Iranian Journalists' Guild and subsequently the reopening of the guild, but so far 'no significant action' has been taken in this regard. On Tuesday, January 15, the Iranian Journalists' Guild also accused the Ministry of Labor of 'creating obstacles' for the resumption of the activities of this guild and called for the intervention of the Iranian president in this matter. Previously, Ali Rabiei, the Iranian Minister of Labor, had stated on November 7 that he is 'seeking a fundamental, comprehensive organization for journalists,' but these remarks provoked critical reactions from the Journalists' Guild, which accused Mr. Rabiei of 'sweeping the issue under the rug' and 'denying the legal personality of the Journalists' Guild.' The Iranian Ministry of Labor declared the guild dissolved during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first government by failing to send the resolutions of the guild's general assembly to official newspapers. The office of this guild was also sealed in the summer of 2009 under pressure from the then-government, while the guild's board claims that after five years, the legal documents related to its sealing have not yet been provided to the guild. According to the board of the Iranian Journalists' Guild, the sealing of the office of this organization was 'based on a complaint from the Ministry of Intelligence,' and since 2009, preliminary investigations regarding its criminal case have not yet begun. Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, had promised during his first press conference with the media that 'not only' the Journalists' Guild but 'all associations should be activated according to the law.' More than 770 journalists wrote a letter to Mr. Rouhani on January 25, 2014, requesting the reopening of the Iranian Journalists' Guild. In this context, security forces have prevented Iranian journalists from gathering to express sympathy for the victims of Paris. Saharkhiz: They are stalling to prevent the reopening of the Journalists' Guild. A letter to Rouhani; the Ministry of Labor is obstructing the reactivation of the Journalists' Guild.