Media News - Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Self-censor to be published, Iran warns writers

Iran's culture minister on Monday urged writers to self-censor their books if they want to be published in the Islamic republic, which applies strict vetting on literature and other arts. ‘This is what we ask publishers and writers, you are aware of the vetting code, so censor pages which are likely to create a dispute,’ conservative minister Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi told a news conference. He said publications should be in line with the system's ‘religious, moral and national’ sensitivities and warned writers against graphic descriptions of relationships or sex. All publications in Iran must be approved by the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, and publishers have complained of tighter censorship on new books since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005. Safar Harandi was commenting on a recent letter by Tehran Publishers' Association who accused his ministry of employing a prolonged and arbitrary vetting process. ‘The publishers complained about the lack of a clear law to define the red lines, revoking of publication permits and books being lost when submitted for screening,’ ISNA news agency said. (AFP via Middle East Times)

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