The warning comes from the Iranian Association for Press Freedom which denounces a measure put forward by the Ministry for Labour that is in direct contrast with the Constitution. A newspaper critical of the government is closed down.

Teheran (AsiaNews) –Tehran Emrouz newspaper has been shut down and the Iranian Association of Journalists threatened with closure.  These are the latest in a series of repressive acts carried out by the government and denounced by the Iranian Association for Press Freedom in a declaration issued today by on-line, anti regime newspaper Rooz.

“In the last transgressions against ‎NGOs and civil institutions, and in line with the increased intimidation against freedom ‎of press”- notes the document drawn up by journalists – “the ministry of labour and social affairs of Iran recently concluded that AOIJ ‎qualified to be dissolved”. “While the officials of the ministry have threatened to shut the ‎largest and comprehensive professional organization in Iran and prevent it from holding ‎its generally assembly meetings and hold elections” – continues the statement – “in the past too other government ‎agencies had repeatedly tried to suppress freedom of speech by banning or shutting ‎independent and critical publications, and by summoning journalists to court or detaining ‎them”.

With reference to the revocation of Tehran Emrouz’s licence, the association expressed its “strong condemnation” in so far as it “is against the express provisions of the ‎constitution, particularly those that provide that press violations shall be investigated by ‎qualified judiciary forums and in the presence of a jury”.

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