Lifting of Ban on Two Newspapers in Iran - 2002-05-05

In Iran, the conservative organ of the judiciary has lifted the ban on two reformist newspapers that were ordered to be suspended yesterday. The state news agency reported today that Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the judiciary, issued an order to revoke the suspension of the state newspaper Iran. No reason was given for this decision. The hardline press court issued the suspension order for the Iran newspaper and the independent newspaper Bonyan yesterday. This order coincided with the sentencing of a veteran Iranian journalist, Siamak Pourzand, to prison. These actions ended a period of calm in the crackdown on news media by the judiciary. The Iran newspaper, which belongs to the state news agency, was accused of insulting Islamic values and spreading falsehoods. Bonyan, which remains suspended, is accused of violating press laws. Meanwhile, veteran journalist Siamak Pourzand was sentenced to 8 years in prison for actions against national security. It appears that Mr. Pourzand confessed in court to having contacts with exiled figures close to Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran. It is said that Pourzand stated in court that he had provided information to exiled Iranians in hopes of creating a pluralistic society in Iran. Over the past two years, during the crackdown on allies of Mohammad Khatami, the President of Iran, dozens of reformist journalists have been imprisoned. This severity of action had somewhat eased with the release of some journalists on bail and the closure of fewer publications.