Accused in Kazemi's death, claims Iran media have "highest degree of freedom"
World News
Aug 9, 2003
TEHRAN - Tehran's chief prosecutor Said Mortazavi insisted Saturday that the media in Iran have the "highest degree of freedom", matched by only a few Western states, during a visit to the student news agency ISNA.
"Thanks to the Islamic revolution and the country's constitution, the Iranian press and media enjoy the highest degree of freedom, matched by only a few Western countries," he said.
"In other words, the freedom of the Iranian press can not be compared with those in neighboring countries and the Middle East," he added.
Mortazavi, a conservative hardliner who headed Iran's press courts from May 2000 until April this year, oversaw the closure of nearly 100 pro-reform publications and the jailing of dozens of journalists.
Hundreds of Iranian journalists downed tools Friday in protest at a worsening clampdown on the pro-reform media and the death of an Iranian-Canadian journalist in custody here in still unexplained circumstances.
The reformist strikers also demanded Mortazavi's removal.
The prosecutor said: "In accordance with the leader's call, nine university students were released and possibly the next phase of university students' release ... is going to happen in the next few days of this week."
On August 5, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told the courts to "exercise clemency" toward dozens of students jailed in protests, especially those who have since pledged their loyalty to the Islamic regime.
Mortazavi last Wednesday ordered the release of nine student leaders arrested during the wave of anti-regime protests in June and July. But dozens of students are still languishing in prisons around Iran.
http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_1654.shtml"Tehran's chief prosecutor Said Mortazavi insisted Saturday that the media in Iran have the "highest degree of freedom",
LOL! They're as free as he'll let them be....!
"Mortazavi, oversaw the closure of nearly 100 pro-reform publications and the jailing of dozens of journalists."
No Contradictions here!