Rouhani announces new guild for Iran journalists
Iran's president has announced plans to open a new guild for journalists, sidestepping the issue of the closure of the previous professional association.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke in anticipation of Journalists Day, to be held Aug. 8 in Iran, saying that steps have been taken to create an alternative journalists guild, a proposal that falls short of satisfying the demand of most Iranian journalists: the reopening of the original journalists guild, defunct due to legal troubles.
“The administration will produce a bill to consider for an association related to journalists so that this association can be active for the work of journalists. If there is an infringement, this guild and professional association can state its position on that infringement,” Rouhani said at an Aug. 7 press conference. He added that the bill would be made public so that experts can weigh in before it is presented to parliament.
Iranian journalists have long hoped for the Association of Iranian Journalists (AIJ) to be reopened. It was created when former President Mohammad Khatami took office in 1997, but suffered numerous legal troubles. In August 2009, two months after the contested presidential elections, its doors were shut on the order of Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi. The association was later reopened but closed once again.
Rouhani avoided the issue in his latest statement by introducing another guild to address the needs of working journalists.
