Iranian newspaper Ham-Mihan suspended over critical reporting

Iran has suspended the publication of the newspaper Ham-Mihan because of two critical articles, the Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, citing the Islamic Republic’s press regulatory body.

One of the articles concerned was a column written by the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, the report said.

The second article, an editorial by well-known journalist Elaheh Mohammadi, focused on state violence during the recent wave of mass protests.

Mohammadi was imprisoned and convicted for her critical reporting after the 2022 protests over the death of a young Kurdish woman in government detention but was pardoned in February 2025.

Despite press censorship in Iran, a few outlets attempt to report critically on the government, though this comes with additional challenges during times of crisis.

The authorities imposed an internet shutdown on January 8 after protests that began in late December over a deepening economic crisis escalated into nationwide demonstrations against the country’s hardline Islamic system.

Human rights groups and medical staff estimate that thousands were killed in the recent protests, but information is hard to come by with only a handful of pro-government and state media outlets currently reporting on events in the country, and even then only selectively.