Abstract
Iran's new President, Mohamad Khatami, campaigned on a free expression platform and came to power in a surprise election victory on 23 May last year with an overwhelming mandate from the people. The press, writers and artists - as well as the 70 per cent of the population under 20 - breathed deep of the air of freedom that swept through the stifling atmosphere of the fundamentalist regime. On the first anniversary of Khatami's election, the regime struck back, seeking once again to stifle debate - and to regain control of the country's future