A journalist was summoned to the prosecutor's office for writing about "corruption and bribery" in the paper section.

Journalist Pejman Mousavi announced that he has been summoned to the prosecutor's office on charges of "spreading lies" and "slander."

Journalist Pejman Mousavi wrote on Twitter on Sunday, February 26, that he appeared before the court today on two charges of "spreading lies and defamation." In his defense against these charges, he cited "open and hidden connections between the former press deputy of the Islamic Guidance Ministry and some press organizations that received billions in paper and subsidies."

This journalist had previously told the court before his audience about writing about "unhealthy relationships between a part of the Islamic Guidance Corps and the directors of some publications" and "a cycle of rent and corruption, subsidies and paper."

Corruption in paper imports has previously made headlines. Earlier in May this year, official statistics published in the Iranian media showed that about 93 percent of paper imported with state currency (4,200 Tomans) was of unknown value. The Minister of Guidance and Guidance had also said that the Penal Organization had investigated the matter, however, a transparent report on the results of the investigation has not yet been published.

The paper price crisis in Iran over the past few months has been so severe that some newspapers, including Hamshahri and Iran, announced that they were forced to reduce their pages due to the high price.

Despite widespread financial corruption in Iran and the acquittal of some officials in corruption cases, the crackdown on journalists has become more severe. In December of this year, the Committee to Protect Journalists announced in a report that Iran is one of the worst prisons for journalists in the world, identifying at least 250 journalists who are being detained in connection with their journalistic activities.

Previously, the US State Department had published material titled "40 Years of Unfulfilled Promises" by the Islamic Republic on its Persian Twitter account, writing about corruption, lack of freedom of expression, lack of justice, and unfulfilled economic promises by Islamic Republic officials.

The US State Department wrote in these tweets that "Forty years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini promised freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Today, Iran has one of the most repressed media environments. The ruling regime has only failed for forty years."

Source: Voice of America