After a two-year struggle, the Iranian justice has finally ordered the closure of Kurdish-language weekly newspaper Rouji Ha Lat, which it accuses of receiving funding from abroad. The newspaper was distributed in several areas of Kurdistan, not just in Iranian territory, and because Iranian law does not allow the media to receive funding from abroad, Rouji Ha Lat was considered to have an illegal source of income.

The court’s decision was reported by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), which said that eight publications have been banned in Iran since the beginning of 2008, all for “political reasons”.

Further information:

• RSF:Court closes Kurdish weekly for selling copies across border in Iraqi Kurdistan