Gan
07-11-2007, 01:52 PM
Iran (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=)'s judiciary has banned a moderate news agency only hours after it had resumed transmission following a week-long suspension, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported Wednesday.
"Based on elements of the case and many complaints, ILNA (the Iran Labour News Agency) may no longer pursue its activities and the order has been given to block the agency's site," an investigating judge (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) was quoted as saying.
The report said Abotorab Fazel was appointed the new head of ILNA after the week-long suspension, and that the last transmission had been just before noon.
The former head of ILNA, Masoud Heydari, was quoted on the ISNA news agency as saying "there are some rumours regarding the ban and sealing of ILNA, which I strongly deny."
Even so, the last transmission on ILNA was sent just before noon.
Last Tuesday, the Ham Mihan (Compatriot) daily newspaper (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) was banned by Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi on the grounds that there had been flaws in legal procedures (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) leading to the lifting of a seven-year ban on it. It had only resumed publication less than two months ago.
A top manager of the newspaper told AFP on Wednesday, that he is hopeful to see the republication of his daily in a month's time.
"On Tuesday I met with (Tehran prosecutor Saeed) Mortazavi trying to find a solution to reopen the paper. We hope that the daily will appear within the next three to four weeks," Mohammad Atrianfar told AFP.
"The head of the judiciary (Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi) favours the republication of the paper. Mortazavi would help us in this regard."
"We do not feel that the authorities or the judiciary want to impose restrictions on the media. That's why we are optimistic," he added.
The paper was headed by Gholam Hossein a centrist technocrat close to both reformist former president Mohammad Khatami and his more conservative predecessor Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070711140457.78ruqiek&show_article=1
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It will be interesting to see if the ban is lifted upon its appeal.
"Based on elements of the case and many complaints, ILNA (the Iran Labour News Agency) may no longer pursue its activities and the order has been given to block the agency's site," an investigating judge (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) was quoted as saying.
The report said Abotorab Fazel was appointed the new head of ILNA after the week-long suspension, and that the last transmission had been just before noon.
The former head of ILNA, Masoud Heydari, was quoted on the ISNA news agency as saying "there are some rumours regarding the ban and sealing of ILNA, which I strongly deny."
Even so, the last transmission on ILNA was sent just before noon.
Last Tuesday, the Ham Mihan (Compatriot) daily newspaper (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) was banned by Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi on the grounds that there had been flaws in legal procedures (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=) leading to the lifting of a seven-year ban on it. It had only resumed publication less than two months ago.
A top manager of the newspaper told AFP on Wednesday, that he is hopeful to see the republication of his daily in a month's time.
"On Tuesday I met with (Tehran prosecutor Saeed) Mortazavi trying to find a solution to reopen the paper. We hope that the daily will appear within the next three to four weeks," Mohammad Atrianfar told AFP.
"The head of the judiciary (Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi) favours the republication of the paper. Mortazavi would help us in this regard."
"We do not feel that the authorities or the judiciary want to impose restrictions on the media. That's why we are optimistic," he added.
The paper was headed by Gholam Hossein a centrist technocrat close to both reformist former president Mohammad Khatami and his more conservative predecessor Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070711140457.78ruqiek&show_article=1
_____________________________________________
It will be interesting to see if the ban is lifted upon its appeal.