Publisher Banned for Undisclosed “Wrong Doing”

Arseh Sevom — Despite censorship, Iran has managed to maintain a healthy number of bookstores and interest in reading. In December of 2011, however, a staggering 100 bookstores shut their doors for the last time, in part due to economic pressure. The bad news does not end there, unfortunately. Nashre Cheshmeh, one of the most productive publishers was banned from publishing for no particular reason. The Union of Publishers and Bookstores, which is one of the oldest guilds in Iran, has had no response.

Bahman Dorri, the deputy ministry of Islamic Guidance in Cultural Affairs, gave a public interview http://www.khabaronline.ir/detail/199012/ in which he did not clarify the case of Nashre Cheshmeh and the reasons it’s been banned. He claimed that eight other “wrong-doing” publishers were under the surveillance of the “Board of in charge of supervising the wrong doings of publishers” and had been written in the “book of law” [sic].

Dorri never stated under which legal procedure this board was formed or who are its members. It also remains unclear whether or not the board includes publishers.

What is clear is that this new threat against publishers is part of a pattern identified by Arseh Sevom to replace independent organizations with those under state control. When viewed in the light of the closure of The House of Cinema, Iran’s motion picture guild, and other organizations, the censure and closure of Nashre Cheshmeh is an ominous sign of the ever increasing state control of all aspects of society.