FIFTY-TWO NEWSPAPERS SHUT DOWN SINCE 1997; 1,000 SATELLITE DISHES CONFISCATED

Fifty-two newspapers in Iran have been closed down by the conservative-dominated judiciary since 1997, when reformist President Muhammad Khatami took office, reveals a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report. Written as a guide to the "players and institutions involved in the struggle for press freedom," the report notes that the shutting down of newspapers has been part of a "systemic campaign aimed at silencing the so-called reformist press."

Forty-two of the newspapers, the majority of which are sympathetic to President Khatami's agenda of social and political liberalisation," have been closed since April 2000, according to CPJ. In a 20 April 2000 speech, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei "attacked the reformist press," accusing them of "undermining Islamic and revolutionary principlesâ¦and creation tension and discord in society." Since the crackdown, the remaining reformist newspapers have tended to avoid reporting on topics which might be seen as a threat to national security. They also shy away from publishing articles that might be viewed as personal attacks on government officials, says CPJ.

CPJ notes that, as of 27 September, five journalists remain imprisoned, including Akbar Ganji, a winner of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression's 2000 International Press Freedom Awards. [See IFEX "Communiqués" #10-29, #10-23. ">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?system_id=3401">#10-29, #10-23.

To view the full report, see www.cpj.org/Briefings/2001/Iran_nov01/Iran_nov01.html.">http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2001/Iran_nov01/Iran_nov01.html">www.cpj.org/Briefings/2001/Iran_nov01/Iran_nov01.html.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have arrested 70 individuals and ordered the confiscation of at least 1,000 satellite dishes since 25 October, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The individuals were arrested for either owning a satellite dish or installing them, activities which are considered crimes under a 1995 law which bans satellite dishes, says RSF. Since March, authorities have confiscated over 7,000 satellite dishes in Tehran. According to RSF, these measures "aim to bar access to foreign television channels, especially channels of the opposition based in the United States."

For more information, see www.rsf.fr.