Tehran - Iran's conservatives, bolstered by public support from the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, yesterday closed the last major reformist newspaper and mobilised thousands of protesters against press freedoms.
The hardline Press Court ordered the immediate suspension of the popular Bahar daily, published by a close aide to President Mohammad Khatami. Journalists said the order had arrived in the newsroom by fax around 1 p.m. (9.30 a.m. Irish time).
