Parliament Debates Press Restrictions

Iran’s conservative outgoing parliament began debating new restrictions on the press, setting up a struggle with reformers poised to take over the legislature in less than two months. Proposed amendments to the press law would expand the role of the courts in monitoring the press, which has flourished under President Mohammad Khatami’s cultural liberalization. “The newspapers are the voice of the people. We must not silence the people’s voice,” reformist Mohammed Reza Khabaz told the legislature. Conservatives say the bill would correct shortcomings in the law and make the press more accountable to the people. So far, several amendments have been approved, including one imposing a two-month suspension for publications that violate directives of Iran’s top security body.