Still, the May election of reformist cleric Mohammad Khatemi as president was cause for a modest degree of optimism. After taking office, Khatemi called for an end to censorship of books, newspapers, and other publications. Initial reports indicate the government has in fact eased the practice and has also granted licenses to dozens of new publications while allowing previously banned publications to resume publishing. To what extent Khatemi’s liberal ideals can effect change remains to be seen in 1998.
Faraj Sarkoohi, the imprisoned editor in chief of the monthly literary
magazine Adineh, was freed on January 28, 1998, after serving a
one-year sentence imposed in September for "spreading propaganda." The
charge stemmed from a letter he smuggled out of Iran, describing his detention
and torture in 1996. Sarkoohi’s release was the culmination of a 13-month
ordeal that began with his "disappearance" at Tehran airport on November
3, 1996, while on his way to Germany. In 1994, Sarkoohi had been one of
134 writers and intellectuals who petitioned the Iranian government for
an end to censorship and for official efforts to foster greater free expression.