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News & Views Iran court bans liberal cultural journal-IRNA TEHRAN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - An Iranian court has banned a liberal cultural journal after it found its editor guilty of lies and dissemination of corruption, the official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday. ``Branch 1410 of Tehran court found the managing director of 'Adineh' bi-weekly, Gholam Hussein Zakeri, guilty of insult and dissemination of lies and corrupt articles,'' IRNA said. It quoted the public relations office of the Tehran justice department as saying that the court ordered Zakeri to pay fines totalling nine million rials (about $1,035 according to black market rate). It said the newspaper has 20 days to appeal the ruling. Iranian newspapers on Tuesday quoted Iran's former top press official, a noted moderate, as warning that the country's new-found press freedom was under threat. They quoted outgoing Culture and Islamic Guidance Deputy Minister Ahmad Bourqani as comparing the country's press freedom to a young tree about to be uprooted. ``Young trees have shot up, but there are apparently people who are determined to cut them off at the roots,'' Bourqani was quoted as saying in a farewell speech at the ministry. ``The only excuse for this is that someone might not like the smell if these young trees grow and flower,'' Bourqani added. Bourqani was in charge of press affairs at the ministry before his resignation was announced earlier this week. Moderate newspapers, many of which started publishing after moderate President Mohammad Khatami was elected to office in 1997, have expressed concern that Bourqani's departure might signal a more restrictive atmosphere against the press. Links * Iran News
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