Judiciary Chief Lifts Ban on Daily Iran
In an interview with IRNA, *** Iran *** Managing Director Abdor-Rasoul vesal confirmed the lifting.
Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) Mehdi Karrubi also said on Sunday that the temporary ban imposed on the daily was lifted Saturday night.
The speaker made the disclosure following a pre-session talk in Majlis by Ahmad Mourqani, a Majlis deputy from Tehran, on local media reports that two dailies, ** Iran *** and *** Bonyan, *** had been ordered closed temporarily.
"It was announced last night that the ban on the daily **Iran*** was lifted," Karrubi clarified Sunday morning.
On Saturday, Vesal announced that the Persian Daily Iran had received an order from the Justice Department of Tehran Province to desist from further publication. Asked to elaborate, he said the newspaper is currently facing 96 various complaints.
The Persian Daily ****Iran****, whose license holder is the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), began publication in early 1995.
The daily drew sharp criticism from religious authorities last Friday after seminary students in Qom staged an angry demonstration for an article recently published in the daily deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
After a preliminary investigation, the authorities then called for the closure of the paper and the arrest of Vesal, IRNA Managing Director Abdollah Nasseri Taheri, and a former head of the Islamic Propagation Organization, Mohammad Ali Zam.
Following the temporary ban on the Persian language dailies, ** Iran ** and *** Bonyan ***, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance yesterday issued a statement about the suspension of these dailies.
In the statement, the ministry expressed concern over the ban on the dailies, considering the measure as harmful to the country's press.
"Suspension of the dailies ***Iran** and **Bonyan*** has happened at a time when there are bright prospects for cultural activities in the country," part of the statement said.