Free Republic

THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC CONTINUE CRACKDOWN OF THE PRESS AND JOURNALISTS PARIS 18 Apr. (IPS) The Islamic Republic of Iran added insult to injury last week by awarding the prize of "Merit" and "Best Servant" to Mr. Sa’id Mortazavi, a judge responsible for the closure of more than one hundred newspapers, magazines and publications and the arrest of dozen of leading journalists on the orders of his boss, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i. The decision was greeted with increased concern among Iranian press, scholar and intelligentsia circles seeing in it the regime’s intention to continue crackdown on the press and free expression, already...