February 10, 2008
This Letter is addressed to the following:
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran);
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi (Head of the Judiciary of IRI);
Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President of the Islamic Republic of Iran);
Dr. Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel (Speaker of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran)
C/O H.E. Mohammad Khazaee
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
Fax: 212-867-7086
We the undersigned are deeply dismayed to hear that the publishing license of the monthly magazine Zanan has been revoked by the Press Supervisory Board.
For the past 16 years, Zanan has been an important voice reporting on issues that Iranian women face - their problems as well as their achievements. It has also been an indispensable forum for encouraging dialogue among those genuinely interested in solving broader social problems. Its sustained coverage of women’s lives in Iran has allowed a balanced international understanding of Iranian society. Revoking Zanan’s publication license deprives all Iranians a vital source on women’s issues and closes one more journal at a critical moment of the country’s life.
We are extremely disturbed by this revocation by a body that constitutionally does not have the authority to revoke the license of any publication. We ask for its immediate withdrawal, and reconstitution of publishing permit for Zanan. The revocation of Zanan’s permit stands in violation of the right to free expression and is, as such, unacceptable by any standards.