Cartoon - By Nikahang Kowsar ( An Iranian cartoonist currently living in Canada )

Picture : Shows Mana Neyestani the cartoonist and Mr. Ghasemfar the editor.


ANOTHER CARTOONIST JAILED IN IRAN CARTOON FUROR

In another cartoon furor, the government of Iran has closed down the "Iran" newspaper and jailed its editor along with cartoonist, Mana Neyestani. The cartoon (see it here) is written in the Azeri language, the boy asks the cockroach a question and the cockroach replies "Namana" or "I don't get it."
The cartoon was "deemed an insult to Iran's Azeri minority," according to Teheran's chief prosecutor. The Azeri make up about a quarter of Iran's population; they live in Northern Iran and speak a language that is related to Turkish. The "Iran" newspaper is state run and is one of Iran's top three newspapers
Members of Iran's Azeri minority rioted in response to the cartoon, pelting government buildings and banks in Tabriz with stones. It is apparently a common practice in Iran to mock the Azeri in jokes and it seems that the Azeri have little sense of humor
Iran's conservative judiciary has closed more than 100 newspapers, but this is the first newspaper closed by Iran's "Press Supervisory Body" and is the first newspaper closed during the term of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Thanks to Nik Kowsar for alerting me to this story about his friend, Mana Neyestani. We share Nik's concern for Neyestani who is being held in Iran's Evin Prison

Link to this news:
http://www.ilna.ir/shownews.asp?code=309484&code1=1

Link to the site of Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ):
http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/mideast/iran23may06na.html