Iran jails female editor for first time ever
TEHRAN, Oct 11 (AFP) - Iran has jailed a female newspaper editor for
the first time ever after her weekly published "outrageous" stories
that offended public morality, the official IRNA news agency said Monday.
Jaleh Oskui, head of the Penj-Shanbeh-ha (Thursdays) weekly, was arrested
Sunday after the paper's repeated publication of "outrageous"
articles that "offended public morality and decency," the news
agency said.
It cited Deputy Culture Minister Mehrnoush Jafari, who said his ministry
has asked Iran 's press court to order the closure of the paper.
Newspapers on Monday said Oskui, 40, was facing 11 accusations of violating
Iran 's tough press laws but did not specify the nature of the charges.
The paper has come under fire recently for having exploited a student
revue satirising Iran 's official Shiite Muslim faith "for commercial
gain."
Iran 's conservative-dominated judiciary has cracked down this year
on the pro-reform press that supports President Mohammad Khatami, closing
three leading pro-Khatami papers and arresting or jailing dozens of journalists.
The banning of the Salam daily in July set off student protests that
erupted in six days of bloody riots after demonstrators were attacked by
security forces and Islamic hardliners.
It was the worst unrest here since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic
revoution.
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