Iran Council Overrules MPs, Says Softer Press Law "Contradicts" Islam
November 2, 2000 - 0:0
TEHRAN Iran's Guardian Council has overruled the Parliament's bid to close a legal loophole used to shutter much of the nation's press.
The Guardian Council rebuffed a parliamentary motion allowing papers to change from weekly to daily or regional to national publication without prior approval as "contradicting Islamic law." According to the IRNA, the council, which ensures that parliamentary legislation is in accordance with Islamic law, "rejected" the motion which had been approved by the chamber on Tuesday.
MPs voted to allow the change of status without need of a new police investigation into newspapers' managements after such changes were used as part of a sweeping crackdown that saw the closure of more than 25 papers and journals since April, most of them pro-reform.
In taking its decision the council also cited Leader Ayatollah Ali Lhamenei's August decision to block the reform Parliament from debating a bill to roll back curbs on the press, AFP quoted IRNA as reporting.
The Guardian Council rebuffed a parliamentary motion allowing papers to change from weekly to daily or regional to national publication without prior approval as "contradicting Islamic law." According to the IRNA, the council, which ensures that parliamentary legislation is in accordance with Islamic law, "rejected" the motion which had been approved by the chamber on Tuesday.
MPs voted to allow the change of status without need of a new police investigation into newspapers' managements after such changes were used as part of a sweeping crackdown that saw the closure of more than 25 papers and journals since April, most of them pro-reform.
In taking its decision the council also cited Leader Ayatollah Ali Lhamenei's August decision to block the reform Parliament from debating a bill to roll back curbs on the press, AFP quoted IRNA as reporting.