Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani’s latest remarks on freedom of the press in Iran featured on almost every front page in the country Nov. 8, and heated the debate that emerged with the opening of the Press Exhibition in Tehran on Nov. 4.
“Some pressure us by asking, 'Why don’t you shut down that newspaper?' while others ask, 'Why have you banned that newspaper?'” Larijani said Nov. 7. “All I can say [in response] to these pressures is that we [the judiciary] pursue our path only by following the constitution and Islamic law.”