Islamic Republic bans another newspaper

Reformist newspaper Bahar was closed down by the Press Supervisory Board of the Islamic Republic in the latest attack on reformist media.

ILNA reports that Mohammad Ali Ramin, head of the Press Supervisory Board announced today that Bahar newspaper has been banned for “publishing items contrary to reality” and “creating doubt regarding major issues such as the elections.”

He also added: “questioning principles of the Islamic Republic” and “slandering countries official bodies and organizations” amongst the other reasons for the closure of Bahar.

He maintained that the Press Supervisory Board is of the opinion that in the past two months, Bahar daily has repeatedly persisted in its press violations.

Prior to this, Bahar had been warned the Board against “spreading rumours and false claims.”

Following the June presidential elections and the protests against the disputed victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, over ten publications have been banned.

Opposition leaders have repeatedly condemned the biased reports of State media and urged their supporters to devise ways of informing the public about the real concerns of the reform movement.