Press rights group knocks Iran’s internet limits Reporters Without Borders condemns the reinforcement of Iran’s system of Internet filtering and blocking. Use of the leading VPN censorship circumvention tools such as Kerio and OpenVPN has been blocked since 4 May, making it very difficult for Iranians to access an unfiltered Internet. The blocking […]
Tag: election
As election nears, Iran’s journalists are in chains
Special Reports Iran continues to jail dozens of journalists, stifling critical news coverage and commentary. Crucial links to the international community have been cut off as the June presidential vote approaches. A CPJ special report by Sherif Mansour.Published May 8, 2013 Journalists Imprisoned in Iran, December 2000-April 2013Unless otherwise noted, all figures are from […]
Iran’s election machinery swings into motion
The registration of presidential candidates for the June election in Iran began today, Tuesday May 7, and will continue until Saturday. Interior Minister Mostafa Najjar announced that the Guardian Council will decide on the eligibility of candidates during five days of deliberation that begin on May 12. For the first time, the presidential election […]
Tehran Overshadows Provincial Journalism
The centralization of media in the Iranian capital, Tehran, is an incontrovertible fact. As the role of provincial media is downplayed, news on minority groups and small cities are underreported and journalists residing in provincial areas are blatantly disregarded. “Iran is one of those countries whose media are excessively dependent on the capital. Therefore, […]
Environmental activist Mostafa Bani-Sharif arrested
An environmental activist from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province has been arrested. According to opposition site Daneshjoo news, Mostafa Bani-Sharif was arrested on Tuesday after being summoned to the Intelligence Bureau of Shahrekord city, the province’s capital. Bani-Sharif is said to have been a signatory to a letter written by 80 activists in the province […]
Bagher Asadi, a High Ranking Diplomat, And Two Political Activists Arrested
Bagher Asadi, a high-ranking Iranian diplomat was detained in Tehran in March as a part of the crackdown on dissidents in the weeks leading to the Iranian presidential elections, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Asadi, who had previously worked in the Iranian UN Mission in New York, was a director of the Istanbul-based D8 Group […]
Censorship intensifying in run-up to June presidential election
Reporters Without Borders condemns the continuing harassment of news providers and yet another escalation in censorship. With just six weeks to go to a presidential election, the intelligence ministry has been summoning netizens and media editors to give them instructions on what they may and may not cover. At the same time, persecution of […]
Iran warns broadcasters about coverage during campaign
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has summoned broadcasting managers from across the country to inform them of the red lines they must not cross in the lead-up to the presidential election. Kaleme reports that the deputy minister of intelligence told the mangers that any form of “negative reflections” during this time will not be tolerated. […]
Presidential election to put regime’s claims to the test, says Tajzadeh
The coming weeks will determine whether Iran’s ruling elite, including its leader, are committed to defending the people’s right to shape their own destiny, says a top reformist figure currently behind bars. In his most recent piece, which was published by the Norooz website, Mostafa Tajzadeh, a prominent pro-reform figure in the country, discussed […]
U.N. keeps focus on Iran human rights in run-up to election
The United Nations agreed on Friday to keep investigating reports of human rights violations in Iran, a move welcomed by activists who report a crackdown ahead of presidential elections. The U.N. Human Rights Council overwhelmingly voted to give its special rapporteur on the situation in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, another year to carry out his […]