Authorities in Iran are prosecuting another writer on national security charges for signing statements and writing posts that criticized state censorship on the Facebook page of the Iranian Writers’ Association. Reza Khandan Mahabadi, a member of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Writers’ Association, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran […]
Tag: censorship
Iranian writers’ group denounces continued censorship
On the occasion of the Day of Action against Censorship, Iran’s Writers’ Association announced that the Islamic Republic government continues to impose censorship in various and complex ways. In a statement, the association writes that in the past year, despite President Rohani’s election promises, censorship has continued to affect book publishing, the arts, the […]
Minister blocks release of film about expelled student
After persistent pressure from conservative factions in Parliament, the Ministry of Culture and Guidance announced that Reza Darmishian film, I am not Angry was finally blocked from screening through direct intervention of the Culture Minister Ali Jannati. The spokesman for the ministry told the Shargh daily that although official orders to make changes to […]
MP slams censorship of Persian-language news
Based on a report by Radio Zamaneh, Iranian MP Ali Motahari says the censorship of Persian-language networks is not right and should be avoided. IRNA reports that Motahari said: “We cannot restrict society’s access to news because of security reasons.” He added, however, that immoral websites should be blocked. A committee comprised of officials […]
Female Musicians Banned from Stage in Isfahan
According to a report y Radio Zamabeh, female musicians are not allowed to go onstage and give live performances in Isfahan. Mohammad Qotbi, the head of the Isfahan Culture and Guidance administration and also a member of the clergy, compared music bands to the national football team, saying that just as there are substitutes […]
Rohani’s anti-censorship view comes under fire
The spokesman for Iranian Parliament’s cultural commission has stressed the need for censorship and expressed concern regarding activities of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in the past year. Seyyed Ali Taheri said in an interview with the Fars News Agency on the sidelines of the Tehran Book Fair that the Ministry of […]
Culture minister deflects blame for print censorship
Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Guidance, says the government is not responsible for bans on books and newspapers. ISNA reports that Jannati said the Press Supervisory Board is a seven-member committee including representatives from the judiciary, Parliament, seminaries and the High Council of the Cultural Revolution, and the Ministry of Culture has […]
Writers call for more resistance against censorship
The Iranian Writers’ Association has issued an announcement in advance of next Wednesday’s Struggle Against Censorship. The statement indicates that in the past year, many more writers and artists have stood up against censorship. The statement celebrates the impact of this resistance, insisting it has led to the enlistment of government forces in the […]
Iranian minister slams extreme censorship
Iran’s minister of culture and guidance has severely criticized the previous administration’s censorship of books. Mehr and ISNA report that Ali Jannati said in a speech on Tuesday October 8: “I have examined many of the books that were banned and see that many of the issues [the authorities] have taken with them are […]
Iranian Presidential Candidates Accuse State TV of Censorship, Unethical Behavior
Iranian presidential candidate and former top nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani has accused the country’s state-controlled broadcaster of unethical behavior and lies. He voiced the criticism on May 27 during his first television interview as a candidate with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), during which he defended his past performance as nuclear negotiator and […]