Reporters who have published critical views of Parliament’s actions are being barred from further access to parliamentary sessions, an Iranian news website reports.
The Jahan News website, which is reportedly connected with Alireza Zakani, a conservative government critic, reports that so far several reporters have been barred from entering Parliament and preparing their reports.
The report indicates that following the 2009 election protests, several reporters were barred from entering Parliament because they were deemed to be supporters of the Green Movement and were accused of “having links to foreign media and participating in the sedition of presidential elections of 2009.” It adds, “But those in charge of Parliament’s News and Public Relations have gone beyond these considerations and are now barring even conservative reporters when they express any critical views, and this is quickly becoming a common practice.”
The report on Jahan News adds that in the sixth Parliament, which was dominated by reformists, conservative reporters were always present and allowed to publish their views, however critical, and “no one dared to expel them from Parliament.”
The report indicates that reporters are being barred from covering parliamentary news based on the preference of some MPs, without any legal provisions for such actions.
