Iran intensifies media clampdown amid presidential election runoff

As Iran’s presidential election runoffs approached this week, the government intensified its media crackdown to control the narrative amid historically low voter turnout in the first round on June 28.

Tehran Prosecutor's Office issued a "warning" to the management of the Tehran-based economic newspaper Jahane Sanat over "publishing an article about the election results," according to a report by Iran’s judiciary news agency, Mizan, on Tuesday.

"The judicial case of this newspaper will be investigated in this regard," added Mizan.

In April, a case was opened against Jahane Sanat for “compromising national security" for coverage of Iran’s April 13 missiles and drone attack against Israel.

Earlier in June, Iran's Press Supervision Board issued strict guidelines for media coverage of the upcoming election emphasizing that disseminating material that promotes "the boycott of elections and lower participation" and "organizing unauthorized protests, strikes, or sit-ins" constitutes a crime. These guidelines also prohibit media from publishing the results of opinion polls.

According to non-profit rights group Defense of the Free Flow of Information (DeFFI), 17 newspapers in total have received warnings. DeFFI noted that the judiciary is attempting to mitigate the negative public perception associated with terms like "declaring a crime" and "filing a judicial case." To this end, the judiciary is increasingly using less charged terms like "warning" without actually altering the level of repression or the underlying legal processes. This approach follows extensive extralegal actions against media and journalists, aiming to soften the language while maintaining strict control over the press.

Additionally, the Iranian Ministry of Interior denied press credentials to four journalists from Shargh Newspaper hours after voting began in the presidential election, effectively barring them from covering the process. Officials abruptly canceled credentials for ‘reformist’ newspapers Shargh and Hammihan reporters, according to IranWire.

Last week, Iran’s security and intelligence forces sealed the studio of the liberal-leaning Fardaye Eghtesad (Economy's Future) media outlet.

DeFFI further noted that in June 2024, security and judicial incidents against Iranian media increased ninefold to 27 in comparison to the previous month. This marked the highest level of media suppression in a single month since the beginning of 2024.

The Islamic Republic has restricted press freedom since the early 1980s. Hundreds of journalists have been arrested over the years and some have spent long years in detention.

Meanwhile, most government-controlled media associated with the regime's 'reformist' and hardliner factions continued urging people to vote in the second round on Friday. They all prominently highlighted Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's call on Wednesday to make up for the low turnout last week.