Iran’s Media Courts shut down the Ebtekar Newspaper on Saturday April 26, according to managing editor Mohammad Ali Vakili.
His report indicates that the newspaper was shut down for an alleged violation of Provision 11(6) of the press legislation, which forbids any form of publication of rumours and falsehoods and distortion of other content.
Vakili announced that the court order issued by Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has not clarified which piece of content published by the Ebtekar daily actually violated the rule.
There has been some speculation that the shutdown of the daily is connected with the publication of a report entitled “Removal of the Head of Prisons”. The Head of the Judiciary has insisted that Gholamhossein Esmaili’s removal from his role as chief of prisons is not connected to the controversial news about the beating of political prisoners in Ward 350 of Evin Prison.
