A February 20th report by the state-run ISNA news agency included this about a sentence issued by the public Court House of Tehran: “The mentioned newspaper, in its publication on Tuesday, February 18th, posted an article that called castigation (killing, cutting off hands or legs and etc.) as inhuman. 

Publishing this article is contrary to the standards and is an insult to what the Islamic Republic holds sacred. Following the publication of this article, the Head of the Court House brought an indictment against the director of this newspaper and demanded that it stopped publishing. 

After the reference of this case to the Court House of Tehran, the inspector gave the order of banning this newspaper to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Mr. Rouhani’s government and issued the sentence.” 

Following his sentence, the director of the Aseman newspaper was summoned to the Court House to offer explanations and was placed under arrest and taken to Evin Prison in Tehran.