Over the past eight years, writers and publishers have been caught in a web of forbidden topics, names, phrases and words. No one in the industry can anticipate what will and will not be allowed by Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Completed projects wait for months to be reviewed by state censors and most are returned with a long list of “required modifications.”

Even books that were approved for publication in the past are now banned for “promoting Western thought” or “being immoral”. Some titles were removed from display at the fair despite being offered for sale at bookstores elsewhere.

Moreover, the government moved to shut down independent publishing firms that produce books on sociology, literature, politics and history. Under an official order, publishers must be approved by the ministry to continue their activities. Through the accreditation process, the government succeeded in banning some long-term publishers.

While Iran’s internal threats to free expression have had their impact, international sanctions have also put the publishing industry under intense pressure. The economic sanctions aimed at curtailing the country’s nuclear program have caused a dramatic rise in the cost of imported paper. As a result, publishers have been forced to limit volumes or suspend publication altogether. Prices for books have risen as a result.

Like all Iranians, the publishing industry is sizing up candidates ahead of the 14 June presidential elections. It is hoped a moderate, ‘reformist’ government will be a change agent in the international arena to end the economic embargo. They are also hoping that the ministry’s heavy-handed censorship will be lightened to fire up the printing presses.

Raha Zahedpour is a journalist and researcher living in London. She writes under a pseudonym.

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Many Iranian people had longed for change and when the supposedly democratic system did not provide this, they took control, sparking the biggest protests seen in the country since the revolution. And, in part, it seems to be getting results.

The protests have resulted in the announcement today by the Guardian Council — Iran’s supreme legislative body — that votes will be recounted in areas contested by the losing candidates.

In a country where the human right of freedom of expression is largely ignored, in recent days censorship in the country has drastically surpassed already militant controls Iranians have become accustomed to and the media is in crisis.

TV, radio, phone and web are virtually all blocked. Foreign press have celebrated Twitter as the means of overriding censorship, as this, and Facebook were so vital in organising the protests. The Internet has proved difficult to censor. The reality though is that now only a few with expert technological knowledge and specialised software are able to overcome blocks. Most WiFi and ADSL connections have been barred, meaning people can only access the Internet through slow dial up connections. I have travelled 40 minutes outside Tehran in order to access the slowest of connections.

Foreign and domestic press have been arrested or kicked out, opposition newspapers have been published with their front pages blacked out or columns missing and one of the most reliable news sources, the BBC Persian service is no longer working (BBC Persian told Index on Censorship the signal has been jammed intermittently since Friday).

The state has announced the death of seven people, and these deaths have created fear amongst the people. I will continue to report, but I fear that I may be arrested. Chaos will no doubt continue later today in Azadi (Freedom) Square, when the rallies of Mousavi and Ahmadinejad supporters will clash. Real change, democracy and freedom of speech will only come if support can grow across the country outside of Tehran and at the moment, the state’s stranglehold on communication suggests things will continue as they are.

Saeed Kamali Dehghan is an Iranian journalist and has been a contributor to the Guardian from the Iranian capital, Tehran, since October 2006. He writes in Persian, English and French for a number of different newspapers around the world including The Guardian, Le Monde, Los Angeles Times, and Etemaad.

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