Iranian newspaper shut down for showing solidarity with Charlie Hebdo

Iranian authorities have shut down a newspaper and suspended its licence after it published a front page depicting George Clooney at the Golden Globes alongside the headline “I am Charlie, too”.

A media court in Tehran ordered the reformist daily Mardom-e-Emrooz, which was in its first month of publication, to be closed down at the weekend because it had shown solidarity with the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo following the deadly shootings at its offices.

Iran’s press watchdog, which operates under the country’s culture ministry and Islamic guidance, also suspended the newspaper’s licence on Monday, confirming its closure was due to the publication of the headline as well as Clooney’s picture showing him wearing a “Je Suis Charlie” badge, according to the state news agency Irna.

The Iranian government as well as a number of its senior clerics and officials have strongly condemned the Paris attacks that led to the killings of Charlie Hebdo journalists and artists but at the same time have abhorred its publications of many cartoons showing Prophet Muhammad.

In the aftermath of the attacks, Iranian journalists who wanted to show solidarity with Charlie Hebdo were not allowed to hold rallies in Tehran.

The Iranian government, in particular, has condemned the latest cover of Charlie Hebdo, which showed a weeping Prophet Muhammad holding up a sign reading “Je Suis Charlie”, saying it was provocative and insulting to Islam.