The Iranian judiciary has banned the editor-in-chief of the anti-government newspaper “Etemad” from working for one year. According to a report in the newspaper, a court in Tehran imposed a corresponding verdict on its editor-in-chief Behrus Behsadi.
In the newspaper’s Saturday edition, the 70-year-old was quoted as saying that the court had originally sentenced him to prison but instead gave him a year’s ban from working.
The reason for the punishment are articles that “Etemad” published during the wave of protests last fall. Behsadi was “accused of publishing false content,” reports Etemad, citing a decision by the public prosecutor. This was preceded by a complaint from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
In the course of the protest wave, there were serious riots in many places in Iran (archive image)Image: UGC
According to Etemad, the complaint related to articles detailing the “kidnapping” of a scientist in October and “bans and arrests” of artists who had supported the protest movement.
The protests against the clerical and political leadership were triggered by the death of the young Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody. They were the biggest endurance test for the Islamic Republic in decades.
Iranian daily newspapers: Etemad (r.) had published critical articles about the protest movement (archive photo)Image: IMAGO
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York, almost 100 media representatives were arrested, most of whom have since been released on bail. Award-winning journalists Nilufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were on trial just a few days ago.
The two women were among the first to report the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. They are accused of cooperation with foreign secret services and propaganda against the state. The verdict will be made shortly.
uh/yy (dpa, afp)