Nobel Women's Initiative

On Tuesday, 28 January 2008, Iran's Press Supervisory Board revoked Zanan magazine's publishing license.  Zanan, which means women in Persian, has been the leading voice for women's issues in Iran for the past 16 years. The Nobel Women's Initiative stands in solidarity with the courageous women of Zanan magazine and urges Iranian authorities to restore Zanan's publishing license.

As of 12 February 2008, almost 120 prominent academics and activists, including Nobel Laureates Betty Williams, Jody Williams, Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Dr. Shirin Ebadi, have endorsed the following letter, sent on 10 February 2008 to President Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials.

                                                                                                         Zanan

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February 10, 2008

This letter is addressed to the following:

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Head of the Judiciary of IRI
Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Dr. Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, Speaker of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran

C/O H.E. Mohammad Khazae, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

Fax: 212-867-7086

We the undersigned are deeply dismayed to hear that the publishing license of the monthly magazine Zanan has been revoked by the Press Supervisory Board.

For the past 16 years, Zanan has been an important voice reporting on issues that Iranian women face - their problems as well as their achievements. It has also been an indispensable forum for encouraging dialogue among those genuinely interested in solving broader social problems. Its sustained coverage of women's lives in Iran has allowed a balanced international understanding of Iranian society. Revoking Zanan's publication license deprives all Iranians a vital source on women's issues and closes one more journal at a critical moment of the country's life.

We are extremely disturbed by this revocation by a body that constitutionally does not have the authority to revoke the license of any publication. We ask for its immediate withdrawal, and reconstitution of publishing permit for Zanan. The revocation of Zanan's permit stands in violation of the right to free expression and is, as such, unacceptable by any standards.

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If you would like to add your name to this letter, please send an email with your name, title and affiliation to Zananmagazine@yahoo.com.

 

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and his hard-line allies rail against the United States and other external enemies, but who they really fear are their own citizens...The order to close Zanan, which means women, is the latest outrage and a sign of how much Mr. Ahmadinejad and the mullahs fear any debate. It should be reversed immediately. - Editorial, Shutting down Zanan

Media:

• Shutting down Zanan, The New York Times, 7 February 2008

• Zanan women's magazine ordered to close after 16 year, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), 31 January 2008
  

• Commission bans leading feminist magazine, Reporters Without Borders, 30 January 2008

• Zanan, a voice of women, silenced in Iran, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 2008

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