A prominent pro-reform Iranian newspaper will resume publishing soon after a ban was lifted on Sunday, its managing director was quoted as saying by an official news agency.
Sharq newspaper was closed by the Press Supervisory Board, run by the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, in September for failing to replace managing director Mahdi Rahmanian, who was accused of publishing blasphemy and insulting officials.
Reformist journalists saw it as a move by the government to silence its critics. Since then, supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been trounced in local elections and his economic policies have faced rising criticism.
"The ban on the paper was lifted. With the start of the New Year (which according to the Iranian calender begins on March 21), the newspaper will be republished," the official IRNA news agency quoted Rahmanian as saying.
He did not give a date for the first issue but said Sharq's directors would meet in the next few days to discuss plans. The other charges against Sharq included advertising for opposition organisations, showing disrespect for Islam and religious leaders and disrespect for President Ahmadinejad in a cartoon.
"I believe Sharq will be published again with the same team of journalists," a Sharq journalist, who asked not to be named, told Reuters without elaborating.