Iran denounces Charlie Hebdo's republication of Prophet cartoon as act of 'provocation'

Iran has condemned French magazine Charlie Hebdo’s decision to republish the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on the eve of trial of alleged accomplices in the 2015 attack on satirical magazine’s office by Islamist terrorists that claimed 12 lives. The cartoons were first published by a Danish newspaper in 2005 and Charlie Hebdo reprinted it next year.

One of the cartoons depicted Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban triggered anger among the Muslim community. Muslims accused the Danish newspaper as branding all followers as terrorists and they also raised objection on the visual depiction of Prophet Muhammad in any form since they believe it amounts to blasphemy.

Before the ghastly attack, terrorists had warned Charlie Hebdo that it would pay a heavy price for publishing the cartoons. On January 7, 2015, brothers Chérif and Said Kouachi stormed Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris with assault rifles, submachine guns, grenades and pistols and killed 12 people, including cartoonists and other editorial staff. 

The terrorists were killed in the counteraction by 14 alleged accomplices went on trial in Paris on September 2. Charlie Hebdo’s publishing director Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau, who was wounded in the attack, wrote in an editorial accompanying the cartoons, that the hatred that struck them is still there and has taken the time “to mutate, to change its appearance, to go unnoticed and to quietly continue its ruthless crusade.”

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'Absolutely unacceptable'

French President Emmanuel Macron said that he is not in a place to pass judgment on the decision of magazine to republish cartoons. Macron said that the decision is solely an editorial choice of a journalist or a newsroom because France has freedom of the press.

Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision to republish the cartoons is an act of provocation, calling to use freedom of expression in a constructive manner. It added that any insult or disrespect towards Islam's holy prophet or the other prophets of God is absolutely unacceptable.

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