The Setareh Sobh weekly has been shut down by order of the Culture and Media Court for publishing Ali Motahari’s letter to the Head of the Judiciary demanding action on the house arrest of opposition leaders.
Motahari, a Tehran MP, has been calling for an end to the house arrest of opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi and Zahra Rahnavard, saying it is unconstitutional to hold them without official indictments from the judiciary.
The Mehr News Agency reports that an unidentified source says the magazine has been shut down based on Article 156 of the constitution, which allows for appropriate steps to be taken to prevent crime and reform criminals.
The head of the judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, has responded to Motahari, saying the house arrests of Mousavi, Karroubi and Rahnavard are legal because they are being carried out by the Supreme Council of National Security.
Setareh Sobh is now pursuing the matter of its shutdown in court.
