Motahari: Freedom of Speech Has Become More Limited Under Rouhani's Government

Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, states that the 'space for freedom of speech' has become more limited under Hassan Rouhani's government compared to the previous administration, and that 'self-censorship' among media has increased. He attributes this rise in 'self-censorship' to the fear of media outlets regarding confiscation and revocation of licenses, as well as the 'increased pressure' on Rouhani's government compared to the previous one. According to Tasnim News Agency, Mr. Motahari said on Thursday, January 9, at the Congress of the People’s Party: 'The space for freedom of speech has decreased in the new government because when a reformist-oriented government comes to power, more pressure is exerted from the other side.' He added: 'Self-censorship in our media has increased significantly compared to the previous government, and this is due to confiscations and revocations of licenses.' 34% of Iranian journalists who participated in a recent study by the University of Pennsylvania identified 'lack of freedom in the newsroom, censorship, and self-censorship' and 'fear of publishing news' as their main challenges. Mr. Motahari further commented on the duties of the Press Supervisory Board, stating: 'The responsibilities of this board need to be clarified... Representatives from the clerical establishment, the legislative branch, the Minister of Culture, and representatives of responsible managers are present to make expert decisions, but on the other hand, the judiciary itself files complaints, so what is the philosophy of this board?' He emphasized: 'Therefore, we should either dissolve the Press Supervisory Board and transfer its responsibilities to the judiciary or no newspaper should be shut down without the permission of this board. We have constantly warned about this, but this problem still persists.' In recent years, the judiciary has repeatedly confiscated several publications directly and without the decision of the Press Supervisory Board. In the latest case, the newspaper 'Mardom Emruz' under the management of Ahmad Setari and the editorship of Mohammad Ghouchani was confiscated on Saturday, January 27, by order of the investigator of Branch 2 of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office. Prior to the confiscation of this newspaper, the 'Roozan' newspaper was confiscated on Tuesday, January 2, by order of the Tehran Prosecutor's Office. Following the confiscation of this newspaper, Yaghma Fakhshami, a political journalist for this newspaper, was also arrested and sent to Evin Prison on Wednesday, January 3. Regarding decisions remaining from the war era about freedom of speech, Mr. Motahari said: 'The issue that martyr Motahari commented on from the beginning of the revolution was that even non-Islamic parties, provided they operate under their own banner and not under the banner of Islam, have the right to operate, and even Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] stated that communists also have the right to operate and freedom of speech in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but compare this with our current situation.' He stated that we should not extend decisions from the Iran-Iraq war era regarding freedom of speech to today, adding: 'We arrest and imprison individuals merely for criticism, which is not consistent with the practices of our Prophet and Imams.' Mr. Motahari has previously criticized the 'harshness and violence' in dealing with protesters against the results of the 2009 presidential election and emphasized that individuals should not be imprisoned merely for criticism and expression of opinion. 'Perhaps the system's decision is wrong; should we not speak?' According to ILNA news agency, Mr. Motahari also stated: 'We criticize the West for closing the space for criticism regarding the Holocaust and say that there should be one analysis and perspective, but we do the same regarding the events of 2009 and say that there should only be one analysis and everyone should have the same opinion.' He added: 'What happened in the parliament was the same. They say you are saying something different, and this is the system's decision. What kind of statement is this? The system's decision may be wrong. Should we not speak?' Ali Motahari has repeatedly called for the lifting of house arrest for Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two leaders protesting the results of the 2009 presidential election. The physical confrontation of some parliament members with Ali Motahari after his request to lift the house arrest during his speech on Sunday, January 21, led to a temporary suspension of the public session of the parliament. Mostafa Kavehbian, the Secretary-General of the People's Party, also stated at the congress of this party: 'Those who remained silent against Rahimi's statement, who said in the name of God and in the name of Ahmadinejad, now say that Rahimi was essentially a reformist.' He added: 'These same people in parliament did not allow the proposal for an investigation into the first vice president to be raised and rendered the proposal for an investigation into the currency reserve account and the Central Bank ineffective.' Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the former first vice president, stated in 2012 at the beginning of a speech: 'In the name of God and in the name of the Supreme Leader and in the name of the President.' After objections to his statements, he issued a statement apologizing and described these statements as a 'verbal and unintentional mistake' due to the tight schedule. Several members of the Iranian parliament, including Alireza Zakani and Mohammad Dehghan, have recently denied Mr. Rahimi's being a principlist, claiming that his conviction was due to a complaint from principlists. In this context, Iran ranks sixth among the worst 'unfree' countries in the world.