04 December 2006

More censorship in Iran

In a move intended to “purge” western culture Iran has shut down access to some of the world's most popular websites including Amazon and YouTube. Similar edicts have been issued against Wikipedia, the internet encyclopaedia, IMDB.com, and the New York Times site. Attempts to open the sites are met with a page reading: "The requested page is forbidden."

The clampdown was ordered by senior judiciary officials in the latest phase of a campaign that has seen high-speed broadband facilities banned in an attempt to impede "corrupting" foreign films and music. Critics accuse Iran of using filtering technology to censor more sites than any country apart from China. Until now, targets have been mainly linked to opposition groups or those deemed "immoral" under Iran's Islamic legal code.

Last week Mohammed Tourang, head of the information bureau's cultural committee, warned Iranian websites of stricter rules by announcing steps to stamp out "immoral and illegal" content. He said site owners would be given official reminders to eliminate forbidden material. Special attention would be paid to content judged to be a threat to national unity or insulting to sacred religious texts and symbols.

The purge mirrors a rising tide of censorship in Iranian publishing which has resulted in the banning of hundreds of books, including western classics. Illegal satellite dishes have also been seized.

From today’s Guardian


4 comments:

Agnes said...

No comment and no excuse for the apologists. And no excuse for those who side with them.

jams o donnell said...

NOne, whatsoever, Red

MC Fanon said...

Excuse my language but how the fuck can Ahmadinejad come to America and tell us that "we are allies for freedom together" and then chastise President Bush for his illegal wiretapping. Sure, that's an infringement on freedom but at least we have a free press. That's utter shite.

Thanks for the update. I don't have much time to look up the latest from Iran. However, it's important to stay aware because things are getting worse and worse for the people there.

jams o donnell said...

Swear away Dave! It is getting worse for the people of Iran on so many different fronts. But yet Ahmadinejad has just landed himself in the clarts as my next post will show!