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Alert

RSF condemns new attacks on Internet freedom

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has strongly criticised the Iranian authorities for blocking access to three pro-reformist Internet websites and arresting some of their contributors. The organisation also condemned the continuing judicial harassment of Naqshineh (http://www.naqshineh.com) website staff and the closure of three cybercafés in the southern city of Bushehr.

"This is a new step in the intimidation of the Iranian media," RSF said. "After closing down numerous dailies and filtering out blogs [websites where people comment on the news], they are now directly targeting website staff and contributors."

Three websites blocked

Access to the news websites Baamdad (http://www.baamdad.com), Emrooz (http://www.emrooz.ws) and Rouydad (http://www.rouydad.info) has been blocked since 21 August 2004. The Teheran Prosecutor's Office has also summoned and arrested half a dozen people working for Internet service providers (ISPs) or as webmasters for the targeted sites.

The three websites are close to the country's main reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front, whose secretary-general, Mohammad Reza Khatami, has complained to the deputy head of judicial affairs at the Tehran Prosecutor's Office about morality police pressure on ISPs to block websites that are deemed "undesirable."

Head of Naqshineh website summoned

On 21 August 2004, Hamid Motaghi, head of the Naqshineh news website, in the southern city of Qom, was summoned to appear before the Qom Court's 14th division. He was released a few hours later after posting bail of 100 million rials (approx. US$11,400; 9,500 euros). Motaghi claims to have been harassed and threatened by court officials, whom he accused of being under the orders of Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The website has been blocked since March.

Naqshineh is being prosecuted for articles it posted about parliamentary elections in February. Mojtaba Lotfi, a student at the Qom Koranic school who had written articles for the site, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison on 14 August for posting "lies" on the Internet (see IFEX alert of 6 August 2004).

Three cybercafés shut down

Three Internet cafés in the city of Bushehr were closed on 25 August by the morality police, who are close to the intelligence services. One of the café managers, who tried to resist, was beaten by police.