Following the publication of a cartoon depicting Prophet Job (Ayoub) by Ham-Mihan Newspaper, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against the outlet.
Hamri Newspaper, affiliated with the Tehran Municipality, reported that the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against Ham-Mihan Newspaper due to the publication of a cartoon depicting Prophet Job.
In the cartoon published by Ham-Mihan, the newspaper criticizes the response of government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani by depicting her alongside Prophet Job, who is characterized by patience in religious narratives. In this cartoon, Fatemeh Mohajerani invites Prophet Job to be patient in response to a question about when internet filtering and restrictions in Iran will be lifted. The lifting of filtering and internet restrictions was one of Masoud Pezeshkian’s electoral promises.
The charges filed by the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office against Ham-Mihan Newspaper represent the latest instance of the recurring pattern of suppressing freedom of expression in Iran. Prosecutor’s offices in the country—especially following significant social events—attempt to disrupt free information dissemination by filing charges against journalists, media outlets, and media activists, thereby preventing independent narratives from becoming the dominant discourse among citizens.