Tehran: Iran’s president publicly criticised its hard-line media earlier this week, hinting that some outlets are connected to the security forces responsible for a wave of recent arrests in the country aimed at crippling Western influence.
President Hassan Rouhani, in a speech broadcast live, accused some outlets of acting as “undercover police” and said that “they even tell their audience who is going to be arrested tomorrow”.
After endorsements of the historic six-nation nuclear accord with Tehran by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and by parliament, the ayatollah has been speaking out against what he has called attempts by Western powers to “spread their influence” in the country.
Since Khamenei’s speeches began, five activists and journalists have been arrested, with a member of the intelligence unit of the Revolutionary Guards Corps explaining on state television that they are accused of being “pens for hire” and that they had been working — some unwittingly — for the CIA.
In recent months, an Iranian-American businessman, Siamak Namazi, and a Lebanese information technology expert, Nizar Zakka, who has legal permanent residency in the United States, have been arrested in Tehran. On Saturday, state television showed pictures of a man it said was Zakka in military dress. He is accused of espionage.
“Through close associations with some political movements, he intended to intensify a bipolar current inside Iran so that Western and American intelligence services could increase their activities in Iran,” a presenter on state television said.
“Zakka, who was trained in America’s Riverside base, had serious military and security connections with the Pentagon and the CIA and was active in Lebanon as an agent in order to weaken Hezbollah,” the presenter added.
Rouhani has spoken out against the arrests and said that hard-liners are misusing Khamenei’s words to detain and frighten opponents. On Sunday, speaking at a media fair in Tehran, Rouhani also criticised the closing of newspapers, a measure often used by the judiciary to silence reform-minded media, although in recent months several hard-line outlets have also been temporarily banned for criticising the government and the nuclear deal.
Rouhani, however, accused intelligence officers of deciding what outlets should be closed, instead of the judiciary.
“We cannot have security officers be the judge of the press. We need clear media rules and regulations,” he said. He also accused the main hard-line outlets of receiving official protection and being able to make any accusations they like.
Last week, the Revolutionary Guards Corps issued a statement accusing domestic media of spreading Western influence, which, according to some, was a possible first step toward the closure of important reformist newspapers.
“The president is clearly anticipating more pressures on the freedom of the press and is warning that newspapers will be closed,” said Nader Karimi Joni, a reformist journalist.
Analysts say the arrests and pressure on news outlets are aimed at influencing parliamentary elections in February by creating an atmosphere in which reformists are unable to speak out.
In a veiled criticism of the 12-member Guardian Council, Rouhani said he hoped that those with other political outlooks would be able to participate in the elections. In Iran, that hard-line vetting board decides who is allowed to be a candidate, often dismissing thousands of people.
“Everybody should be able to see the people they want in the lists of candidates,” Rouhani said.
— New York Times News Service
