Iranian Newspaper Shut Down after Showing Support to Charlie Hebdo

Mardom-e- Emrooz, a reformist daily from Iran was shut down in its first month of publication after depicting a picture of Hollywood Star George Clooney with the Golden Globe award alongside the headline 'I am Charlie too' on the front page. The gesture did not go down well with the Ministry of Culture and the newspaper's license was eventually revoked on Monday.

Pressure to close the Iranian publication became intense after several conservative media outlets including the daily Kayhan demanded that the newspaper be shut down. The cultural minister was also threatened with impeachment by several MP's if no action was taken on the newspaper.

In an interview to Fars news agency, MP Zohreh Tayebzadeh said, "If the culture minister does not firmly confront this newspaper, then he would be the subject of an impeachment,"

A media court in Tehran also made calls to close down the publication. While the Paris attacks have been strongly condemned by Iranian government and a number of senior clerics, they have also been highly critical of the cartoons involving Prophet Mohammed which were published by the French magazine. Following the attacks, the Iranian government also banned journalists from holding rallies in support of Charlie Hebdo at the capital.

Several media groups in Iran continue to face censorship problems and recent events further highlight their battles with freedom of expression. According to popular Iranian website IranWire, it said, "The closure also points to a wider problem: Rouhani's failure to expand freedom of the press in Iran more generally. The move reveals enormous divisions within Iran's political landscape,"

"The battle over free expression has just begun in Iran, with Rouhani and his administration pitted against hardliners, who are deeply entrenched in both parliament and the judiciary. The closure of Mardom-e Emrooz is a reminder of how bitter the fight will be, and illustrates how much power hardliners command."