Ministry of Culture Requests Judiciary to Refer Press Seizure Cases to Oversight Board

The Ministry of Culture of the Islamic Republic has requested the Judiciary to refer cases that lead to the seizure of press publications to the Press Oversight Board for review instead of directly seizing them. This announcement was made by the Minister of Culture on Thursday, November 22, during a visit to the Press Exhibition. According to Mehr News Agency, Ali Jannati, who spoke to reporters after visiting the Tehran Press Exhibition, addressed the disagreements between the Judiciary and the Ministry regarding the seizure of certain media outlets, stating: 'There is no significant disagreement; there have been one or two cases where the judiciary felt it could temporarily seize a newspaper and did so.' The Minister further noted the characteristics of the Press Oversight Board, saying: 'We have requested judicial authorities to refer any cases they find relevant to this board, which is comprehensive and includes representatives from the Judiciary, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and the Qom Seminary, for review.' Additionally, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance mentioned the latest status of the novel 'The Colonel's Decline' by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. In response to a journalist's claim that Dowlatabadi has revised his book 44 times in hopes of obtaining a publication permit, but the Ministry is still unwilling to issue a permit, he stated: 'I need to see the latest revised version of this book myself and read it as a reader. The issue is not about Mr. Dowlatabadi personally; we review based on the text. If these 44 revisions are acceptable, this book will receive a permit like other books.' Jannati also responded to a question about whether it is true that according to the Council's opinion on publishing regulations, if books are not resolved after a month of review, the Minister's opinion will clarify their status, saying: 'We have not encountered such a resolution in the Cultural Revolution Supreme Council meetings for over a year, and I don't think any resolution remains from the previous government stating that if books do not receive a response after a month, their status will be determined solely by the Minister's opinion.' Regarding 'The Colonel's Decline,' Dowlatabadi announced on Wednesday, November 21, that he has decided to remain silent about it for a while to create fewer controversies around his novel. In this context, Hossein Nooshabadi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, stated that 'The Colonel's Decline' has not yet received a publication permit due to 'content flaws and deficiencies' and will not receive a permit until it is revised. Dowlatabadi had previously stated that he has seriously considered the proposed revisions for the fourth time. The novel was submitted for a permit to the Ministry of Culture in 2008 by the Cheshmeh Publishing House, but the Ministry withheld the permit citing 'necessary revisions.'