The 27th Tehran Book Fair was launched on Tuesday April 29 with Iranian President Hassan Rohani, and Minister of Culture Ali Jannati attending.
The head of the 27th book exhibition organizers criticized the small budget and inadequate venue for the exhibition and called for improvements in these areas.
In his speech, President Rohani spoke out against the recent attacks on his administration and stressed the need for reducing interference in the activities of book publishers.
“The government does not support imposing government censorship, and the administration is being heavily criticized for this stance,” Rohani said.
He stressed however that the government is proud to have established an atmosphere of openness where everyone can express their views.
The Rohani government has been the target of several attacks since it managed to obtain an interim deal with the G5+1 over the nuclear disputes.
The Tehran book exhibition will continue until May 10, showcasing 266,429 domestic books and 132,000 foreign books.
