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Tehran (pte038/19.04.2005/14:15) - Iranian authorities have shut down the Tehran offices of Al-Jazeera, accusing the broadcater of inflaming ethnic riots in the south of the country. As the Media Guardian http://www.mediaguardian.co.uk reports, Al-Jazeera said today that it had been told to stop broadcasting in Iran and had appealed to the government to reverse its decision. "Al-Jazeera assures its audience that it will continue to cover Iranian affairs objectively, comprehensively and in a balanced way, and calls on the relevant Iranian authorities to reconsider the decision to suspend its bureau's activities," said the broadcaster.
The Arabic news network was first to report the unrest in Iran's south-west Khuzestan province near the Iraq border, which has led to 200 arrests over the past days. The unrest was also discussed on al-Jazeera's talkshows, prompting a government investigation into its coverage. "We suspended its activity in Iran to investigate the network's role in unrest in Ahvaz," Mohammed Khosvaght of the culture and Islamic guidance ministry told state television. "We expect the network to respect Iran's national integrity and security. If it is proven that Al-Jazeera committed a crime, then it will be prosecuted."
Al-Jazeera is popular among Iran's Arabs, who are the majority in Khuzestan's capital Ahwaz, but make up only 3 per cent of the country's population. Persians account for 51 per cent. Al-Jazeera, owned by the government of Qatar, has fallen foul of governments across the Middle East. It was banned from reporting in Iraq last year and has angered authorities in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait for its policy of airing opposition views and criticisms.
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