This post quite simply comprises an external link to the Coelho blog and indeed his Twitter Account. Today, Mr Coelho released the contents of an email onto his blog and linked it by URL to Twitter, so its mostly  common-knowledge and I will not comment here, save to say that the tag under which this short post   is categorised is censorship (this tag mostly includes the PH  Category/tags : blasphemy/fund-cuts). Here is a short C+P from the Coelho blog, the link is attached at the end of this piece:

Books banned in Iran,  from Paulo Coehlo‘s  blog 10/01/2011 , 10 Janeiro 2011.

“1] My books have been published in Iran since 1998, in different publishing houses (Caravan Books, directed by Arash Hejazi, is the only official publisher). So far, we estimated that there are over 6 million copies sold in the country.

2] My books have been published under different governments in Iran. An arbitrary decision, after 12 years of publication in the country, can only be a misunderstanding.

3] In 2009, I used the social communities to support Arash’s ordeal after the elections. You can read the post The Doctor.

4] I hope this misunderstanding will be solved during this week. And I strongly count on the Brazilian Government to support me, my books, for the sake of all the values we cherish. “

From Paulo Coelho’s Twitter account , updated this afternoon :

From my Iranian publisher Arash Hejazi “I was informed today that the Ministry of Culture in Iran has banned all of your books”.

“After nearly one week of International pressure, Epoca Magazine informs that the Iranian Embassy will release note denying the censorship.

Valor Economico (a Brazilian newspaper) informs that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff asked the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs the reason of the ban, and“was informed by the [ Iranian ] diplomatic corps [in Brasil] that the action was taken against the publishing house, not against the books of the Brazilian author”.

As I said in my previous posts, there is no reason to ban books that are circulating in the country for the past 12 years Unfortunately, my official publishing house, Caravan Books, was closed.

To see the official letter, CLICK HERE  (Disclaimer: this letter was sent and translated by Dr. Hejazi. I don’t have means to verify if the translation is accurate)

 

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Reuters report 10/01/2011
Paulo Coelho’s Twitter Account with links and appeal re the banning.
Culture Minister’s Statement re Banning