Two more journalists arrested and two newspapers shut down

Reporters Without Borders called today for the immediate release of two journalists arrested and jailed after publishing a cartoon (see below) drawn more than 65 years ago and for the reopening of two newspapers closed by the country's hardline religious rulers. "Once again the regime's conservatives are victimising the reformist press to settle political scores," said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard. "We hope the reformist politicians will this time go beyond just words and do something to stop these attacks on the media." Ménard also called for the release of 10 other journalists currently in jail in Iran, which has more journalists in prison than another other Middle Eastern country. The reformist newspaper Hayat-é-no reprinted on 8 January a 1937 US newspaper cartoon about the pressure exerted by then-President Franklin Roosevelt on the US Supreme Court, represented by a bearded, black-robed old man resembling the Islamic regime's founder, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It was printed alongside an interview with a social science professor about "social collapse" in Iran. The conservative-dominated religious court ordered the paper closed on 11 January because the cartoon was considered insulting to Khomeini's memory and summoned its editor, Hedi Khamenei, for questioning. On 12 January, religious organisations in the holy city of Qom staged street protests and shouts were heard of "Death to journalists in the pay of foreigners!" and "(reformist President Mohammad) Khatami, this is a last warning!" Intelligence minister Ali Yunessi then announced the arrest of three of the paper's journalists, Alireza Eshraghi, Hamid Ghazvini and Rahman Ahmadi. Ghazvini was freed on 12 January. Editor Khamenei, who is also brother of Ali Khamenei, the country's spiritual leader and official "Guide of the Revolution," but does not shares his views, accused Eshraghi and Ahmadi of being responsible for printing the cartoon. He had earlier apologised for what he called a "misunderstanding." The reformist daily Bahar was suspended on 11 January by the press court a few days after running an article about shady stock exchange dealings by the firm Alzahra, three of whose shareholders are prominent politicians - former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ayatollah Yazdi, former head of the judiciary, and Ahmad Janati, head of the council of the Guardians of the Revolution. The paper had been suspended on 8 August 2000 and only allowed to reappear last month.