Press Legal Regime in Iran: Flexibility and Adaptability with New Communication Technologies

This paper argues that Iran needs to review and reform its press legal regime with much greater consideration for new technologies in today’s information society arena. A free press is one of the few, and possibly the only, means to force the government to be held accountable for its actions. The history of press law in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) dates back to the creation of the first legislation (1930) in this country. Today, with the innovative advances in communication and the needs of “netizens” (a term for citizens who use networks for communication), the IRI Press Law does not have sufficient flexibility with international documents or reflect the impact of new technologies regarding the freedom of expression. Therefore, many of the questions in this era remain unanswered