Iran bans feminist magazine

Some bad news for feminists in Iran. Authorities have shut down the country’s top women’s magazine, Zanan.

Managing director Shahla Sherkat was once a hardline supporter of the Iranian government but became disillusioned after the Iran-Iraq war. Zanan managed to survive previous crackdowns by cautiously avoiding general politics and focusing on women’s issues.
But that didn’t work, apparently.
According to preliminary reports it was banned for portraying a negative image of women in Iran, but no official word has emerged yet.

And what were the oh-so-negative issues discussed in the magazine? Everything from domestic violence to cosmetic surgery.
The Commission for Press Authorisation and Surveillance, responsible for shutting down the magazine, also accused Zanan of “publishing information detrimental to society’s psychological tranquility.� Sigh.
More from Inside Iran and Reporters Without Borders.