Aadel Collection
Iranians expel three journalists
Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Aug 22,1979; Section: Front page; Page: 1 Iranians expel three journalists From Reuter In Tehrart Iran eMpelled three Western corfl !pondents yesterda.V after a call from the unofficial Head of State, Ayatollah Khomein i, to be more revolutionary. Two of the journalists are British — Mr Towyn Mason of the BUC and Mr Andrew Whitley,. of The Financial Times. His assistant, Ms Elizabeth Hyarns , also said she had been told to leave. The third was a Frenchman 1 Mr Jerome flumoulin, of the Paris magazine LExpress . who received the expulsion order less than 48 hours after arriv- ing in Iran. All were ordered to •depart as soon as possible in Eeparate meetings yesterday with Dr All Beb- r.adnla. foreign press director of the Ministry of National Guidance. Mr Mason was told that the authorities objected to the general tone of BBC broadcasts about ham Mr Dumoulin was critlcis for an Express article about life after the revoLution. Mr Wbitley, ‘who had been in Iran for Iwo years, was orderetheut without explanation. Dr Behzadnia said that the expulsions were a revoltt- tionary decision which over. ruled any legislation already in farce, a reference to restrictions on the foreign press issued last week The authorities also announced yesterday that they intended to expel two West German journalists who went to cover evenis In Kurdistan without obtaining Gb v . s . .. ..J.L credentials. The Tebran Islamic Revolu- tionary Prosecutor, Ayatollah Anti Qoini. announced yester- day that 26 newspapers and magailnes had been closed by the authorities. The press purge began at the weekend after a fierce attack by Ayatol- lah Khomeini on opposition parties and newspapers. He said that the government, Re- volutionary Guards, arid army had not been revolutionary enough and :must start taking revolutionary action. Ayatollah Qomi was quoted by State Radio yesterday as saying that opposition groups had abused the freedom the February revolution gave them. He described the boycott of the recent Consititut.ional Council elections by groups such as the Fedayeen guer- rillas and the centrist National Democratic Front (NDF) as shameless. He accused the NDF of being responsible for 300 people injured in a rally last week to protest against re- strictions on the press. In the latest move against Left-wing political parties the authorities sealed the offices of the pro-Soviet Tudeh (Com- munist) Party. The wherea- bouts of its leadership were unknown, yesterday. The move followed the banning of two of the party's newspapers by the Islamic Revolutionary Prosecu- tor. In the Kurdish border town of Paveb, th ..tne of bloody lighting between rebels and Re- volutionary Guards at the weekend, an Islamic Court pre- sided over by Ayatollah Sadeq Kbalkhali sentenced 13 insur- gents to death on charges of waging war on God and his re- presentatives. Five other rebels were executed by . firing squad in the nearby city of Kerman- shah, Sources in the Kurdish stronghold of Mahaijud ported clashes between Kur- dish forces and RevQlutione ” 8 rds. Guerrillas of the banned Kurdish Democratic Party (XL ?) l 0 hed with Gov- ernment forces using artillery and tanks near the town of Miandoab nor'th of Mahabad. Skirmishes also took place in other areas. • In Stockholm a Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the ousted Shah of Iran has asked the Swedish Go eement for political asylum. The request was made infor- nially through private contacts and will not be dealt with until the Shalt sends a formal, written application. © Guardian News and Media Limited archive.guardian.co.uk/.../getFiles.asp?... 1/2
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