Ruzan Newspaper Seized by Tehran Prosecutor's Office

The managing director of the seized Ruzan newspaper reported that Hossein Entezami, the deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, opposed the seizure of this newspaper. The reason for the seizure is likely related to its articles about Ayatollah Montazeri published in last Saturday's issue. According to the state news agency IRNA, Shamsi PourMohammadi, the managing director of Ruzan, stated that in a call with the deputy of the Ministry of Culture, it was expressed that the ministry 'did not agree' with the seizure, and it was probably related to Ruzan's articles on Saturday, December 29. The Tehran Prosecutor's Office announced the order for the seizure of the newspaper in a message to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance on Tuesday, January 2, without mentioning the reason for the seizure. In its December 29 issue, Ruzan published articles commemorating the death of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, featuring his photo on the front page with the headline 'A Different Jurist.' The main office of Ruzan was initially located in Khuzestan Province, and the newspaper had recently moved its office to Tehran. As stated on Ruzan's website, this newspaper has been distributed in Khuzestan Province for 19 years and nationwide for the past five years. The Tehran Prosecutor's Office had previously filed a complaint against this newspaper in the Press Court. On Sunday, January 2, a court session regarding the charges against the managing director of this newspaper was held in Branch 79 of the Tehran Criminal Court, and the press jury found Ms. PourMohammadi guilty of the charges and deemed her deserving of a reduction in punishment. The case against Ruzan was formed on charges of publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion and harm others. Since the rise of Hassan Rouhani's government, several publications, including the newspapers Bahar, Nasht, and Asman, have been seized by the judiciary or the Press Supervisory Board. The Asman newspaper was seized on March 1, 2014, just a few days after its launch on February 15, 2014, due to an article about retribution. The Bahar newspaper voluntarily ceased publication on November 1, 2013, after publishing an article titled 'Imam, Political Leader or Faith Model?' by Ali-Asghar Ghorey, until the Press Supervisory Board eventually issued a seizure order. In 2013, the Nasht newspaper was also supposed to be published, but according to its editor, Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, its publication was prevented 'with the entry' of the head of the judiciary. Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture, announced on November 13 that the ministry had requested the judiciary to refer cases leading to the seizure of publications to the Press Supervisory Board for review before taking action.