Front Line is deeply concerned following the order for the closure of the women's rights publication, Zanan. Zanan was established in 1992, and is dedicated to the promotion and protection of women's rights in Iran. On 29 January 2008, the management of Zanan were informed by the Press Monitoring Council and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance that the magazine's license was to be cancelled due to the publication of material that was threatening to the “psychological security of society”.
Further Information
Posted 05/02/2008 According to information received, the crackdown on Zanan is specifically related to an article that the magazine published concerning the rape of a woman allegedly by two members of the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary force which is subordinate to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Members of Zanan have been targeted in the past, Shahla Sherkat, the founder and publisher of Zanan was recently arrested after she attended a conference in Berlin. Zanan had published 153 issues before it was shut down.
Front Line believes that the cancelling of Zanan's license is directly related to the magazine's human rights activities, in particular its work to protect women's rights in Iran, Over the last two years, 40 periodicals have been banned by the Press Supervision Board and this latest closure of Zanan represents part of an ongoing trend to censor human rights defenders and publications discussing human rights in Iran. Concern is expressed for the physical and psychological integrity of all staff members of Zanan.
Action Finished:
This Urgent Appeal has now ended. No further action is requested at this point. Thank you for taking action on this case.
Front Line issues Urgent Appeals on behalf of human rights defenders at risk on a daily basis. These Appeals normally remain active on our web site for a period of up to six weeks, depending on the situation. After this time they will be archived. Front Line maintains a watching brief on all these cases but no further action is requested after the six weeks, unless there is a significant development in the case.
