Charlie Hebdo Vigil Banned

Security forces stopped Iranian journalists wanting to pay tribute to colleagues murdered in the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in Paris on January 8.

As a show of solidarity to the journalists who were brutally killed at the weekly satirical magazine on January 7, Iranian journalists attempted to gather and pledge their support outside a building in Tehran that was used as the Association of Iranian Journalists before being shut down by security forces in 2009.

The gathering was organized by several Iranian journalists via Facebook and was due to take place at 14:30, Thursday afternoon, directly in front of the building – attendees were to put down flowers and light candles while a vigil in Paris was also being held.

However, the event came to a standstill when motorcycles and vans carrying security forces stormed the street and blocked the entrance. Despite the journalists’ attempts to negotiate with the agents, people were forced to leave.

One journalist said on Facebook, “It’s remarkable that while we were trying to express our human emotions against this horrible terrorist act ... security forces were concerned about national security!”

Read the original article in Persian