Minister of Culture: The case of the insulting magazine against Rouhani's deputy will go to the Press Supervisory Board

Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, stated on Tuesday, December 7, that the case of the weekly "Yalasarat," the organ of Ansar Hezbollah, due to "publishing insulting content about the Deputy for Women's Affairs of the President" will be reviewed by the Press Supervisory Board next week. According to Mehr News Agency, Jannati responded to reporters' questions regarding the article published in Yalasarat, saying, "This issue is set to be discussed and addressed in the next meeting of the Press Supervisory Board." The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance added, "This weekly has been suspended three times by the decision of the Press Supervisory Board due to violations, and given this issue, it is possible that in the next meeting, this weekly may have its license revoked due to these violations." The Ansar Hezbollah Institute owns the rights to the weekly "Yalasarat," with Abdolhamid Mohtasham as the editor-in-chief. Last week, the magazine criticized the policies of Hassan Rouhani's government, referring to Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Deputy for Women's Affairs of the Iranian President, as a "partner" of a women's rights activist. Yalasarat addressed this women's rights activist with the term "whore." This article elicited a reaction from Ms. Molaverdi, who stated that she did not want to respond to the article that insulted her, but her response is for "recording in history." The Deputy President of Iran reacted to this Yalasarat article, writing that in this article, "while labeling the President as liberal, it insulted me in a vile manner so that we do not forget the costs of women's political and social participation in determining their fate and that of their country." Meanwhile, Yalasarat responded to Ms. Molaverdi's reply on Sunday and republished the exact content of its previous week's article. Last year, Yalasarat was suspended by the Press Supervisory Board based on Articles 8 and 11 of Article 6 of the Press Law and the provisions of Article 12 of the mentioned law on December 16, 2013. Article 8 of Article 6 of the Press Law states that defamation of officials, institutions, organizations, and any individuals in the country is considered a crime. However, Yalasarat was lifted from suspension after five months and resumed its activities.