Censorship in Iran

Censorship in Iran is the limiting or suppressing of the publishing, dissemination, and viewing of certain information in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The majority of such censorship is implemented or mandated by the Iranian government.

Censored content often includes information that relates to women's rights, freedom of speech, democracy, pornography, certain news sources, certain religious content, and many websites.

Censored media include essentially all capable of reaching an even marginal audience, including television, print media, radio, film, museum and gallery exhibits, and the Internet. Iranians attempting to access most informational databases and search engines are met with a page reading: "The requested page is forbidden." [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,1963166,00.html Censorship fears rise as Iran blocks access to top websites | Iran | Guardian Unlimited ] ] Most forms of media are vetted for acceptability by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Iran's press situation as "Very serious", the worst ranking on their five-point scale. [ [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10733 Reporters sans frontières - Internet - Iran ] ] Iran's Internet censorship policy is labeled "Pervasive" by the OpenNet Initiative's global Internet filtering map, also the worst ranking used. [http://map.opennet.net//index2.html]

ubject matter and agenda

Censorship in Iran encompasses a wide range of subject matter. The agendas behind such censorship are varied; some are stated outright by Iranian government itself and some are surmised by observers inside and out of the country.

Political

Censorship in Iran is largely seen as a measure to maintain the stability of the country and the control of the Islamic government. Censorship helps prevent unapproved reformist, counter-revolutionary, or religious proponents, peaceful or otherwise, from organizing themselves and spreading their ideals. In 2007, for example, five women were charged with "endangering national security" and sentenced to prison for collecting over a million signatures supporting the abolishment of laws discriminating against women.

Additionally, censorship prevents Iranian citizens from discovering or learning more about past and current failures and abuses of the government that could create or inflame anti-government sentiment. Some of the topics explicitly banned from discussion in the media by the Supreme National Security Council include Iran's economic troubles, the possibility of new international sanctions targeted at Iran's nuclear program, negotiations with the United States regarding Iraq, social taboos, unrest among Iran's Azeri and other ethnic minorities, and, more recently, the arrests of Haleh Esfandiari, Kian Tajbakhsh and Ali Shakeri. [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20758&Valider=OK Reporters Without Borders - Iran, Annual Report 2007] ]

Media

Two notable crackdowns on the Iranian press occurred in August 7-11, 1979, early in the Islamic Revolution when the Khomeini forces were consolidating control and dozens of non-Islamist newspapers where banned under a new press law banning "counter-revolutionary policies and acts." [Schirazi, "The Constitution of Iran", Tauris, 1997 p.51]

And in April 2000, when the conservative-controlled judiciary launched "a wide-ranging crackdown" against the then flowering of democratic reformism. Nearly all of the reformist dailies were closed and many leading journalists jailed. [Molavi, "Soul of Iran", Norton, (2002) p.5]

Religious

The agents of censorship are sometimes not official government employees, but religious organizations (although these can operate in tandem with government agencies). Koranic schools have been known to participate in the assault, vandalism and ransacking of journalists and news organizations perceived as critical of Islam or its major figures, such as Ayatollah Khomeini.

In 2007, after student newspapers at Amirkabir University of Technology published articles suggesting that no human being--including Muhammad--could be infallible, eight student leaders were removed to Evin Prison.MacFarquhar, Neil. (2007). [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/world/middleeast/24iran.html "Iran Cracks Down on Dissent"] . "The New York Times". Retrieved June 24, 2007.]

Internet Censorship in Iran

In the first decade of the 21st century, Iran experienced a great surge in Internet usage, and, with 7.5 million people on the Internet, currently has the second highest percentage of its population online in the Middle East, after Israel. When initially introduced, the Internet services provided by the government within Iran were comparatively open. Many users saw the Internet as an easy way to get around Iran's strict press laws. [Feuilherade, P. (2002.) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/not_in_website/syndication/monitoring/media_reports/2183573.stm "Iran's banned press turns to the net"] . "BBC.com". Retrieved December 9, 2006.] BBC News. (2003.) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3019695.stm "Iran Steps Up Net Censorship"] . "BBC.com". Retrieved December 9, 2006.] With the election of Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, and the start of the 2nd of Khordad reform movement, a clampdown occurred that became stricter after the election of conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005. Iran is now considered to be one of the most repressive Internet-censorship regimes in the world.

Banned media

Books

* "The Satanic Verses"
* "Da Vinci Code" [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5216490.stm |title=Da Vinci Code book banned in Iran |accessdate=2007-02-27 |publisher=BBC News]
* "Memories of My Melancholy Whores" [cite journal|author=لیلی نیکونظر|title=گزارش یک توقیف|date=November 18, 2007|journal=Shahrvand-e Emrooz|volume=2|issue=25|pages=12|language=Persian]

Films

* "...More Than 1000 Words [cite web |url=http://www.newsdaily.com/Entertainment/UPI-1-20070202-15491100-bc-iran-filmbanned-crn.xml |title=Israeli film banned from Tehran festival |accessdate=2007-02-27 |publisher=NewsDaily.com]
* "The Circle"cite web |url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/10/DDGJ34R54U1.DTL&hw=tehran+film&sn=001&sc=1000 |title=In Iran, nightclubs are banned and concerts are rare, but movies abound. The Fajr festival is the country's Cannes. |accessdate=2007-02-27 |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle]
* "Crimson Gold"
* "Half Moon" [cite news|work=Telegraph
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/1461136/Call-for-ban-on-film-that-mocks-Irans-mullahs.html|title=Call for ban on film that mocks Iran's mullahs |accessdate=2007-02-27|date=2004-05-06|first=Behzad |last=Farzian]
* "Offside"
* "Tcherike-ye Tara"
* "Ten"
* "Be Ranghe Arghavan"cite web |url=http://www.cinemaema.com/NewsArticle2114.html|title=با حکمیت می‌شود مشکل به رنگ ارغوان را حل کرد |accessdate=2007-04-15 |publisher=Cinemaema.com]
* "Santouri

* "Marmoulak
* "Time of Love
* "The Nights of Zayande-rood

ee also

*Freedom of speech in Iran
*Islamic Revolutionary Court for slandering the Supreme Leaders
*Communications in Iran

References

External links

* [http://www.freemuse.org/sw1420.asp Music censorship incidents in Iran] - reported by Freemuse
* [https://www.iraniazad.com Committee against censorship (Iran Proxy)] - ANti Censorship Committee in Iran
* [http://jturn.qem.se/2006/more-pictures-of-iranian-censorship/ Pictures of Iranian Censorship] - Examples of Iranian Censorship in Western Magazines
* [http://iwillnotregistermysite.googlepages.com/ I will not register my site] - Antiregistering website & blogs logo and Censorship google bombing.]
* [http://www.bannedmagazine.com/ Banned Magazine, the online journal of censorship and secrecy]