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Iranian Journalism and the Law in the Twentieth Century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Hossein Shahidi
Hossein Shahidi*
Affiliation:
American University of Kuwait
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

Although the first Persian language newspaper was published in Iran 170 years ago, Iranian journalism is a twentieth century creation, indeed a product of the 1906 Constitutional Revolution. The press played a significant part in the revolution, especially by promoting the demand for the rule of laws enacted by parliament, rather than decrees issued by the king or the religious leaders. Once a constitution had been declared, many journalists felt relieved of all restrictions and engaged in bitter, personal attacks on their opponents, including the monarch and his family. Many papers also opposed a press law that was passed soon after the revolution, arguing that it was meant to suppress their newly-gained freedom. Five more press laws have been passed in Iran since then, but the debate over press freedom and the rule of law in the country does not appear to be anywhere near resolution.

Type
Articles
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 41 , Issue 5 , December 2008 , pp. 739 - 754
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Iranian Studies 2008

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Footnotes

This is a revised version of the paper presented to the conference on “Iran and Iranian Studies in the Twentieth Century” at the University of Toronto, convened by Homa Katouzian and Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, October 2007.

References

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19 Ansari-Lari, Nezarat bar Matbu'at, 73. Article 79 of the Amendment is based on what is now Article 148 of the 1970 Belgian Constitution, ibid.

20 On the articles of the Amendment, see Moqaddamfar, Hamid, “Seyr-e Tarikhi-ye Qavanin-e Matbu'at-e Iran” (The Historical Development of Iran's Press Laws), Rasaneh Quarterly Journal of Media Studies and Research, 4/1 (Spring 1993), 38Google Scholar. Article 79 was based on what was then Article 98 of the Belgian Constitution, but is now Article 150 of the 1970 Belgian Constitution, http://www.oefre.unibe.ch/law/icl/be00000_.html.

21 On journalists' opposition see Goel, Cohen, Tarikh-e Sansur dar Matbu'at-e Iran (History of Censorship in the Iranian Press) (Tehran, 1983), II: 335–395Google Scholar. The first test of the Press Law came a month after its ratification, with Mohammad-Ali Shah suing the newspaper, Mosavat (Egality), for an article which had accused the monarch of seeking his personal pleasure rather than dealing with the country's pressing problems, and another article which had said the monarch was not really in charge and the country was being run by others. Mohammad-Ali Shah withdrew his case after intercession by the leader of the Qajar tribe, Azodolmolk, who feared that revelations during court proceedings would raise the anger of the public and lower their esteem for the monarch.

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23 Bahar's address reported in Nowbahar, no. 203, 11 June 1915, reproduced in Mass'oud Kouhestaninejad, Asnad-e Dadgah-ha va Hey'at-ha-ye Monsefeh-ye Matbu'ati az Enqelab-e Mashruteh ta Enqelab-e Eslami (Documents on the Press Courts and Juries from the Constitutional Revolution to the Islamic Revolution) (Tehran, 2001), 234–235.Google Scholar

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26 Kouhestaninejad, Asnad-e Dadgah-ha, 22–77.

27 Kouhestaninejad, Asnad-e Dadgah-ha.

28 Articles 30–39—Ansari-Lari, Nezarat bar Matbu'at dar, 120–121.

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30 Syndicate Treasurer, Massoud Mohajer, interviewed by the author, Tehran, 25 August 2002.

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32 Article 12, 1986 Press Law.

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40 Article 38, Note 30.

41 Article 6, paragraph 12. This and subsequent articles of the law quoted from the text of the Press Law reproduced in Hamid Rasai, Payan-e Dastan-e Ghamangiz: Negahi beh Zamineh-haye Sodur-e Hokm-e Hokumati-ye Maqam-e Mo'azzam-e Rahbari dar-bareh-ye Qanun-e Matbu'at (The End of the Tragic Story: A Glance at the Background to His Excellency the Supreme Leader's Decree on the Press Law) (Tehran, 2001), II: 392–413.

42 Article 9, Note 7.

43 Article 9, Note 6.

44 Article 9, Note 8.

45 Note to Article 12.

46 Article 33, paragraph B.

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48 The intelligence agent accused of having murdered Ms Kazemi was finally acquitted by Iran's appeals courts in November 2005 (BBC News, 16 November 2005, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4442910.stm).

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51 Kasra Nouri, editor of Iran, the license for which is held by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, interviewed by Rasaneh Supplement, 1/2, 21 June–5 July 2004, pp. 6–7.

52 Shargh's publisher, Mehdi Rahmanian, interviewed by Rasaneh Supplement, 1/1, 6 June 2004, p. 7.

53 Ayatollah Shahroudi's news conference, ISNA, 9 March 2005, http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-503795.

54 Eqabl daily, 7 March 2005, p. 4.

55 Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, reports: 1 March 2005, http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-500036, and 2 March 2005, http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-500089.

56 Dr Mohsen, Esmaili, “Jaygah-e Ertebatat dar Qanun-e Barnameh-ye Chaharom-e Towse'eh,” Rasaneh Quarterly, 15/1 (Summer 2004), p. 84Google Scholar.

57 Khabarnameh-ye Deneshjuiy (University Students’ News Bulletin), 2 March 2005, p. 2.

58 Hossein, Sahidi, Journalism in Iran (London, 2007), 132Google Scholar.

59 Tamaddon-e Hormozgan (Hormozgan Civilization), based in Hormozgan province. There were protests against the paper and several staff members were arrested. Most were soon released. BBC Persian Service, 4 July 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2006/07/060704_mf_afroutan.shtml. The paper's manager, Ali Dirbaz, was given a 20-month jail sentence—BBC Persian Service, 9 April 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2006/04/060409_jb_dirbaz-hormozgan.shtml.

60 The cartoon, published in Iran's weekend supplement, had illustrated an article on public health aimed at children, written in humorous language. The paper was closed down until September and the cartoonist and the editor of the supplement were imprisoned for several months. BBC News, 28 May 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5024550.stm (6 September 2007).

61 Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, 12 September 2006, http://www.isna.ir./Main/NewsView.aspx=News-787579. Among other places, the cartoon can be seen on the website of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 12 September 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18834.

62 For details on the interviewee, Saghi Ghahraman, see Zamaneh website, 7 August 2007, http://www.radiozamaneh.org/pejman/2007/08/post_54.html; Shebh-e Weblog, October 2003, http://manwamohajerat.blogfa.com/post-79.aspx.

63 The controversy, which has been covered in a Playboy feature (Pari Esfandiari and Richard Buskin, “Sex in Iran,” http://www.playboy.com/sex/features/sex-in-iran/sex-in-iran.html), arose following the circulation of a video which allegedly showed the actress having sex with a man. The actress said she had been a victim of an “unfounded allegation”—Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), 4 November 2006, http://www.ilna.ir/shownews.asp?code=363094&code1=26. For the judicial investigation of the video, see BBC Persian Service, 9 November 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2006/11/061108_si-narges-actress.shtml. Iranian police later warned women against “video exploitation” (BBC Persian Service, 23 November 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2006/11/061123_mf_warning.shtml) and a bill was presented to parliament for the prosecution, with sentences up to death, of the distributors of “works that denigrate Iranian woman” (BBC Persian Service, 27 December 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2006/12/061227_mf_execution.shtml).

64 Tehran Prosecutor, Saied Mortazavi, said Hammihan's publishers and former Tehran Mayor, Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi, had not been placed on bail before the court hearing, which he had not attended personally, but had been represented by his lawyer—Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), 3 July 2007, http://web1.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-953536.

65 Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Ahmad, Masjed-Jame'i, quoted in Rasaneh Quarterly, 12/1 (Spring 2001): 17. Seventy percent of the respondents to a 2006 online survey said they knew little or nothing about the Iranian press law—http://www.presslaw.blogfa.comGoogle Scholar.

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67 Amir, Hosseinabadi, lawyer, quoted in Rasaneh Quarterly, 12/1 (Spring 2001): 28Google Scholar.

68 The 1960 crime prevention law.

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