Iran's hard-line judiciary ordered the closure of more than 50 newspapers "for the sake of God." Abbas-Ali Alizadeh, head of the judiciary administration in Tehran, said the closures were a service to the nation. "One of our greatest glories is closure of offending newspapers. Based on our assessments, by doing this, we have done the greatest service to the people... When you do a job for the sake of God, defeat is meaningless,'' Alizadeh said. The newspaper closures began after hard-liners lost control of the Majlis, or parliament, in elections last year. The hard-liners are locked in a power struggle with more liberal supporters of President Mohammad Khatami. Khatami's allies also continue to be jailed and harassed by the hard-liners, who control unelected key institutions, including the judiciary and police.
When asked for a comment, God said they were nuts and suggested they go to Hell. |