Iran president condemns hard-line media crackdown
Source: Associated Press
Iran's moderate-leaning president strongly criticized hard-line judicial officials Saturday for ordering reformist newspapers shut down, highlighting the internal political tensions in the Islamic Republic as it negotiates a final nuclear deal with world powers.
Judicial authorities ordered two pro-reform newspapers — Aseman and Bahar — closed in recent months on vague allegations of questioning Islamic principles. In speech broadcast live on state television, President Hassan Rouhani described the judicial decision as wrong and said media outlets criticizing his decisions seem to be unaffected.
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Hard-liners in the country have been aggressively criticizing Rouhani's moves, calling the nuclear deal "a poisoned chalice." One newspaper — Vatan-e-Emrooz, which is backed by Rouhani's opponents printed in black the day the nuclear deal went into effect instead of color as a sign of sorrow and mourning. It declared the deal a "nuclear holocaust" and called it a gift to Israel Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
Iran's hard-line judiciary has shut down more than 150 pro-reform newspapers and jailed dozens of editors and writers, often on vague charges of insulting authorities, since 2000.
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