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
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