Papers Free to Re-Appear

Tehran Court has lifted the bans on three daily papers. These are Shargh, Hammihan and Asia. Shargh was banned during last local elections and Hammihan daily was shut down on May 16, 2000. Both papers are close to Kargozaran Sazandegi, a technocrat party, and Hashemi Rafsanjani’s supporters. Hammihan’s director is Mr. Gholam Hossein Karbaschi, former mayor of Tehran and a technocrat figurehead. Asia daily used to cover economic affairs. Judge Husseinian has lifted the bans and announced that all three papers are free to publish.