According to The Europa World Year Book 1995, the Iranian press law of 1979 states that "offences against the Act will be tried in the criminal courts" (p. 1551-52). A 1994 Reporters sans frontières study on freedom of the press in Iran mentions the case of one journalist who in 1992 was sentenced by "the revolutionary tribunal in charge of press crimes" (1994,169). This document is available at the Regional Documentation Centres. More recently it was reported that publication of the monthly magazine Gardoon was suspended on 30 January 1996, and its director, Abbas Ma'aroufi, sentenced by a civil tribunal to a six-month prison term, 35 lashes and a two-year suspension from publishing or practicing journalism (Courrier International 8-14 Feb. 1996, 25; AFP 30 Jan. 1996). Ma'aroufi reportedly told the BBC that the jury that tried him was composed of "journalists" (Courrier International 8-14 Feb. 1996, 25). For further details on the press law in Iran, including proposed amendments, please see the attachment from Hamshahri, which provides a transcript of an interview with an official of the guidance ministry. According to Human Rights Watch, if adopted, these changes "would allow the executive to encroach on the powers of the judiciary, and would further restrict the freedom of the press (December 1995, 227).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 30 January 1996. "Watchdog Protests Suspension of Iranian Magazine." (NEXIS)

Courrier International [Paris]. 8-14 February 1996. "Six mois de prison et trente-cinq coups de fouet!"

The Europa World Year Book 1995. 1995. 36th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.

Reporters sans frontières. 1994. Freedom of the Press Throughout the World: 1994 Report. London: John Libbey.

Hamshahri [Tehran, in Persian]. 4 May 1995. "Guidance Ministry Official on Revised Press Law." (FBIS-NES-95-102 26 May 1995, pp. 54-56)

Human Rights Watch (HRW). December 1995. Human Rights Watch World Report 1996. New York: Human Rights Watch.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 10 July 1996. "Iranian Writer Seeks Refuge in Germany." (NEXIS)

_____. 30 January 1996. "Watchdog Protests Suspension of Iranian Magazine." (NEXIS)

Courrier International [Paris]. 8-14 February 1996. "Six mois de prison et trente-cinq coups de fouet!", p. 25.

The Europa World Year Book 1995. 1995. 36th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications, pp. 1551-52.

Hamshahri [Tehran, in Persian]. 4 May 1995. "Guidance Ministry Official on Revised Press Law." (FBIS-NES-95-102 26 May 1995, pp. 54-56)