Cartoon dispute over Charlie Hebdo: Iran takes "first steps" - Paris is concerned
Created: 07/01/2023 14:01
By: Andreas Apetz
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits the Police and Military Academy during a graduation ceremony in Tehran.
(Archive photo) © Iranian Supreme Leader's Office/dpa
Iran reacted to the satirical criticism of its own regime by the newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" by closing a French research institute.
Tehran/Paris – January 7 marks the eighth anniversary of the bloody attack on the
Charlie Hebdo
editorial building .
To mark the anniversary, the satirical magazine published a special issue on Wednesday (January 4).
Contrary to expectations, the magazine does not settle accounts with the past, but deals with the present and the brutal handling of the protests in Iran.
In several cartoons,
Charlie Hebdo
mocks the Iranian mullahs' regime and taunts Ali Khamenei, the head of state.
After the Foreign Ministry first summoned the French ambassador to Tehran, Iran took "first steps" and began closing a French research institute in the country.
The government in Paris expressed concern, reports fr.de.
Charlie Hebdo criticizes violence against protesters
The satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo
has long been on the Islamic Republic's list of sanctions.
On Wednesday, the magazine published several cartoon contest entries under the motto #MullahsGetOut.
For example, one of the drawings shows Iran's "Supreme Leader" Khamenei trying to save himself from drowning in a lake of blood by hanging on a rope.
Two themes dominate the Hebdo special edition: Firstly, the violence against the protesters – four young demonstrators have already been executed by the government.
On the other hand, many drawings strengthen the position of women in Iran.
Contrary to the criticism from Iran, France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna referred
to the legal framework of the publication on
LCI .
"In France, unlike what is happening in Iran, there is freedom of the press." Blasphemy does not exist in French law.
Paris regrets action in Iran
After the cartoons were published, Iran shut down a French research facility in Tehran.
The closure of the French Research Institute in Iran is "a first step" in response to the cartoons, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday (January 5).
The day before, Tehran had threatened an “effective and decisive response” to the publication.
The French government said it had not yet been officially informed about the closure of the research institute in Tehran.
If the announcement comes true, it would be "regrettable," said the Foreign Ministry in Paris.
The Ifri is “a stronghold of culture and exchange”.
(aa/dpa/afp)
