http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1abf9502-c7be-11de-8ba8-00144feab49a.html
Tehran shuts second reformist paper By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran Published: November 2 2009 17:27 Iran's culture ministry shut down a leading reformist newspaper on Monday ahead of an expected rally by the opposition to mark the anniversary of the US embassy siege in 1980. The Sarmayeh newspaper has extensively covered the news about opposition leaders, including Mir-Hossein Moussavi, and their calls for a continuation of protests following the disputed results of June's presidential election that saw Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad re-elected as president. Journalists say the culture ministry has repeatedly warned reformist newspapers not to cover any story about reformists, in particular Mr Moussavi - who became the de facto leader of the opposition and who believes the election was stolen from him. Iran's opposition is planning to use the anniversary of the US embassy siege in 1980 as a pretext for mass protests. The Revolutionary Guards on Monday warned those "agents of the enemy who are ignorant" that "no group will be allowed to raise fabricated slogans and issues" in the official rally - a clear warning to opposition supporters. "The closure of Sarmayeh is certainly related to the demonstration on Wednesday," a journalist at the banned newspaper said. It was not immediately clear why Sarmayeh was shut down. "The culture ministry refers to article 6 of the Press Law which has many heavy charges such as encouraging groups to dishonour the Islamic Republic and insulting the senior clergy without specifying which one the newspaper was found guilty of," the journalist added. Sarmayeh has also turned into the mouthpiece for reform-minded economists during the past four years, lashing out at the populist policies of president Ahmadi-Nejad. The government has tightened its grip over the media since the disputed June election, which led to the biggest social unrest in the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Sarmayeh is the second reformist newspaper facing closure since the disputed election. Some fear the censorship might get worse after Mohammad-Ali Ramin, a hardliner who claims he advised Iran's president to question the Holocaust, was appointed as deputy culture minister. Mr Ramin ordered closure of Sarmayeh on his first day of work. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
