Female Iranian editor who irked hard-liners to 'face media court'

A prominent Iranian editor accused by the country’s hard-liners of promoting “obsolete” feminist views has been called to appear before Iran’s press court, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Saturday.

The RFE/RL article quoted a report by Iran’s Fars news agency saying Shahla Sherkat, editor of “Zanan-e Emruz” magazine, would be put on trial by Iran’s Press Court on Sunday. Fars did not provide details about the charges against Sherkat.

RFE/RL said a Tehran-based journalist who used to work with "Zanan-e Emruz" had confirmed the Fars report as accurate.

RFE/RL quoted the journalist, who requested anonymity, as saying that the case against Sherkat appears to be based on a complaint concerning the first issue of the monthly which was published in May.

Sherkat, who published Iran's leading women's magazine "Zanan" (" Women") for 16 years before the publication’s license was revoked in 2008, has been accused by hard-liners of continuing her work through "Zanan-e Emruz" and of spreading feminist ideas, RFE/RL reported.

Sherkat has not publicly commented on the Fars report, which has raised concerns that action could be taken to shut down “Zanan-e Emruz,” RFE/RL said.