Reformist Editor Detained by Court

In the latest crackdown on Iran’s pro-reform press, a leading reformist newspaper editor was arrested on charges of insulting Islamic values, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Mashallah Shamsole Waizin of the banned Neshat daily was detained on a Tehran judge’s orders after he failed to show up for a court appearance. Iran’s hard-line press court issued a warrant for his arrest last month after Neshat was banned, but until now no attempt has been made to detain him. Articles in Neshat criticized the Islamic law of retribution and capital punishment.