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''Shargh'' ( fa, شرق, lit=East) is one of the most popular
Reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can eve ...
newspapers in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.


History and profile

''Shargh'' was founded in 2003. The daily is managed by Mehdi Rahmanian. Its chief editor was
Mohammad Ghouchani Mohammad Ghouchani ( fa, محمد قوچانی, born 22 September 1976 in Rasht) is an Iranian journalist. He has served as editor-in-chief of various reformist print media, many of which have been banned by the authorities. Early life and edu ...
in its first period of publication. Mohammad Ghouchani and
Mohammad Atrianfar Mohammad Atrianfar ( fa, محمد عطریانفر; born 1953 in Isfahan) is an Iranian journalist and reformist politician, currently the head of the "Policymaking Council" of the daily newspaper ''Shargh''. He is a member of the Executives of ...
, its ex-head of policy-making council, left ''Shargh'' in March 2007 and joined ''
Ham-Mihan ''Ham-Mihan'' ( fa, هم‌میهن, lit=Compatriot) was a reformist daily newspaper in Tehran, Iran. It was in circulation between 2000 and 2009. History and profile In January 2000 Gholamhossein Karbaschi, former mayor of Tehran, established ' ...
'', another reformist newspaper managed by
Gholamhossein Karbaschi Gholamhossein Karbaschi ( fa, غلامحسین کرباسچی, Gholām-Hosein Karbāschī, ; born 23 August 1954) is an Iranian politician and former Shia cleric who was the Mayor of Tehran from 1990 until 1998. He is considered politically refor ...
. Arash Karami, an Iranian journalist, described ''Shargh'' as the opposite of conservative paper ''
Kayhan ''Kayhan'' ( fa, کيهان, '' en, The Cosmos'') is a newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. It is considered "the most conservative Iranian newspaper." Hossein Shariatmadari is the editor-in-chief of ''Kayhan''. According to the report of the '' ...
'' in terms of political stance.


Bans

''Shargh'' had published 141 editions before the temporary ban by the Iranian judiciary system on 4 February 2004, one day before the parliament election, following the publication of an open letter from some members of the outgoing parliament to
Ayatollah Khamenei Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...
, the Supreme Leader. The letter was read to journalists by
Mohsen Armin Mohsen Armin ( fa, محسن آرمین) is an Iranian politician. He was a representative for Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the ...
, one of the organizers of the MPs sit-in criticizing the vettings of the
Council of Guardians The Guardian Council, (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, fa, شورای نگهبان, Shourā-ye Negahbān) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence i ...
. The situation got more interesting when Mehdi Rahmanian, ''Shargh''s manager in charge, met
Saeed Mortazavi Saeed Mortazavi ( fa, سعید مرتضوی, born 26 November 1967) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former judge and former prosecutor. He was prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, and Prosecutor General of T ...
,
Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
's general prosecutor, the next day to discuss a removal of the ban. After that, Rahmanian wrote a public letter asking for forgiveness, saying that he couldn't confirm that the letter was actually from the MPs and signed by them, and that even in the case it was, it would have been a non-professional act to publish "offensive" texts. Mortazavi announced that he had ordered the ban because of a request by the High Council of National Security, which
Hassan Rowhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...
, the council's chair, and
Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...
, the president, later denied on 20 and 23 February, respectively, mentioning the matter was not even discussed at the council's meeting. The ban was removed on 28 February 2004, and ''Shargh'' was published again from 3 March 2004.Controversial cartoon led to ban on reformist Iranian newspaper
''Time'', Azadeh Moaveni 11 September 2006
''Shargh'' was shut down again on 11 September 2006 by the Iranian government. In March 2007, Iran's hardline judiciary allowed a number of banned reformist dailies to republish, including the flagship centrist daily ''Shargh'' after a half-year ban. However, the daily was banned after publishing an interview with Iranian-Canadian poet Saghi Ghahraman in August 2007. The interview was viewed as counter-revolutionary and immoral by the press directory. The digital newspaper ''Your Middle East'' reported on 26 September 2012 that ''Shargh'' had been banned over a controversial cartoon. The newspaper, one of the few remaining dailies close to the reformists, published the cartoon on 25 September and provoked anger among Iranian lawmakers as well as officials, who said the cartoon insulted Iranian fighters in the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
(1980–88). Iranian soldiers usually had ribbons reading holy words on their foreheads during the war.


See also

*
List of newspapers in Iran The first Iranian newspapers appeared in the mid-19th century during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah. More specifically, the first newspaper in Iran, Kaghaz-e Akhbar (The Newspaper), was launched for the government by Mirza Saleh Shirazi in 1837. ...


References


External links


PBS - Wide Angle: Red Lines and Deadlines
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shargh 2003 establishments in Iran Censorship in Iran Newspapers published in Tehran Persian-language newspapers Publications established in 2003