A reformist Iranian journalist has received two summons to appear before a Tehran press court following complaints by the oversight Guardian Council and a failed conservative contender in the presidential polls, Abdollah Jasbi, reported the official Iranian news agency (IRNA) on Monday.
The director of the paper Hambastegi, Gholamheidar Ebrahimbay-Salami, was summoned to the court over the complaints from Jasbi and the conservative-led council.
The complaints came just days after President Mohammad Khatami roundly defeated nine mostly conservative challengers and romped home to a re-election win with a crushing 77 percent mandate.
Last month, a Tehran administrative court indicted Ebrahimbay-Salami on multiple charges.
Those who lodged complaints against Salami included the state broadcast monopoly, the police, the Revolutionary Guards and the hardline daily Kayhan.
Tehran's justice department chief has also filed a 120-page complaint against the newspaper.
Since April 2000, conservative-run courts have closed down nearly 40 publications, mostly pro-reform, and jailed dozens of journalists on various charges of disparaging Islam and the religious elements of the Islamic revolution, according to IRNA – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
