Iran says it is closing the French Institute for Research in Tehran “as a first step” against “insulting” cartoons of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that were published by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The controversial weekly published dozens of cartoons mocking Khamenei, the highest religious and political figure in Iran, as part of a competition launched in December in support of Iranians who have been protesting against the theocratic system following the death of a young woman while in police custody.
Some of the cartoons depicted sexual scenes that included Khamenei, who has held power in the country for more than 30 years, and other Iranian clerics. Other entries were aimed at the brutal crackdown on protesters launched by officials in Iran, including sentencing several demonstrators to death.
“In reviewing cultural relations with France and examining the possibility of continuing French cultural activities in Iran, the ministry is ending the activities of the French Institute for Research in Iran as a first step,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The day before, Tehran summoned France’s ambassador to Iran to protest the “insulting” cartoons.
Charlie Hebdo has a history of pushing the limits of free speech on race, religion, and politics in France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim community.
In January 2015, 12 people were killed by Islamist militants in an attack at the magazine’s Paris office over the publication of cartoons of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
French officials did not immediately respond to the announcement of the closure of the institute, but Foreign Minster Catherine Colonna told LCI TV on January 5 that Iran was pursuing bad policies through its violence against its population.
“Let’s remember that in France press freedom exists, contrary to what’s happening in Iran and that this (freedom) is overseen by a judge within the framework of an independent judiciary, which is something that Iran without doubt doesn’t know well,” she said in response to the summoning of the French ambassador.
The protests over the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was being held by police for allegedly wearing a hijab, or head scarf, improperly, have rocked Iran.
Tens of thousands of Iranians have flooded streets across the country on a regular basis to protest against a lack of rights, with women and schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support in the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
Several thousand people have been arrested, including protesters, journalists, lawyers, activists, and digital-rights defenders. Two protesters have been executed after receiving death sentences, while several others have been handed similar penalties and are on death row.
