Islamic regime in Iran for fear of citizen journalism in the coming parliamentary election shut down the internet !

News coming from Iran indicate that, the Islamic Republic regime in Iran has shut down the internet circuits. As a result Iranian are unable to have access with outside world.News report says:
"The complete HTTPS internet protocol in Iran is shut down and following that event , the Iranian are unable to have access to Gmail or Yahoo and other websites and secured internet services."

The report added:
"In the past two months port 443 was more or less slow in speed ,but since Feb.9 it was completely shut down.This port after port 80 or http is one of the most important internet ports. This event effects only the communication with outside Iran and the connection of SSL with inside Iran is still working."
Link to news in Farsi:
http://balatarin.com/topic/2012/2/9/1009949

More restriction and pressure on internet websites in Iran!
Islamic Republic Ministry of Culture and Guidance through its Media and information deputy sent a strong message to internet website managers not to turn away or back away from the standards set by the ministry for internet during the election , for example , websites are not allowed to write critically about election or write about boycutting the election and the Ministry said those who will not follow the standard set by ministry will be closed and their infraction of standards will be reviewed by the ministry.

Link to this news in Farsi:

http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2009/04/086260.php

ALERT - IRAN

30 January 2009

Authorities step up control of Internet, block access to websites,including RFI and Deutsche Welle

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris(RSF/IFEX) -

Reporters Without Borders condemns the wave of censorship thathas hit many Iranian and foreign Farsi-language websites since 24 January2009. Most of the sites contain articles critical of the government andPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose term expires on 12 June. Internationalnews media websites have also been blocked since 26 January."After directly targeting human rights activists, the authorities are nowstepping up their control of the Internet, one of the few areas of freedomfor Iran's citizens," Reporters Without Borders said. "Internet filteringis not new in Iran but we are worried about the scale it has assumed andthe fact that it is affecting all the main cities. We call for an end tothe sanctions against these websites, which are sources of news andinformation."The Farsi-language site of the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (http://tinyurl.com/armbhd ) has been inaccessible since 26 January, as hasthe Farsi version of the Radio France Internationale site (http://tinyurl.com/dxjboy ) and the Arabic-language site of the satelliteTV station Al Arabiya ( http://www.alarabiya.net/persian ).According to tests conducted by Reporters Without Borders on 26 and 27January, the blocking is affecting the cities of Tehran, Qom, Ahvaz, Karaj,Tabriz, Bousher, Meshedd and Shiraz (see map on http://www.rsf.org ).Bahman Hedayati, the editor of the Parsine website ( http://www.parsine.com), described the blocking of his site as "illegal" in an interview on 26January for the Iranian news agency ILNA. The literary website Haftan (http://www.haftan.com ) was blocked the same day by certain InternetService Providers without any explanation. Iran's leading literary criticshave for the past three years been writing for the site, which is verypopular with young Iranians.Several news websites that criticise the government or belong to potentialrivals of President Ahmadinejad have also been rendered inaccessible byISPs since 24 January. Farda News ( http://www.fardanews.com ) and Parsine,sites that support Tehran mayor Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, a futureAhmadinejad rival, are among those that have been blocked.Meanwhile, cyber-feminists Parvin Ardalan, Jelveh Javaheri, MaryamHosseinkhah and Nahid Keshavarz were summoned before a Tehran appeal courtagain on 27 January. Calling for their convictions to be quashed, theirlawyer, Masomeh Sotoudeh, said that articles defending women's rights werenot "anti-government propaganda" nor did their publication constitute a"subversive activity".The four cyber-feminists were sentenced last September to six months inprison for contributing to the online newspapers "Zanestan" ("Women's City"- http://www.herlandmag.net/ ) and "Tagir Bary Barbary" ("Change forEquality" - http://www.we-change.org/ ).For further information on the four cyber-feminists' case, see:http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/96801/ Internet:http://www.internet.rsf.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF.In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.

Islamic Republic in Iran continue its onslught on weblogs with more filtering!
According to news, The following site's has been filtered:
1-Madreseh Feministy ( School of Feminism ) - This site has been filtered for eight times.
2-Tagheer baraye Barabary ( Change for equality )- This site has been filtered for 18th times.
3-In less than two weeks ago many websites of " Campaign for One Million Signature " in the city of Hamadan, Azarbayejan, Zahedan, Shiraz, Mashhad, Kuwait , Germany, Zabol, Amol, Ilam, Kermanshah, Rasht, Karaj, Arak, California, Cyprus, Sweden.
4-Men's weblog for equality
5-Weblog for equality on inheritance
6- Equal image
7- And the personal weblog of Zhila Baniyaghub known as "we are journalists" .http://www.zhila.net
Zhila is a journalist and member of the "Campaign for one million signature" . Zhila was writing in her website for four months. She started writing reports about the events in university campus and one of her last article was titled as " Those 400 People " , a report about the 7th day of the death of Said Emami ( One of the leading figure from Ministry of Information of the Islamic Republic )- Said Emami known also as Islami was behind the "chain murdering" .
For more information please read IWC .

Deputy public prosector of the country reported :
Five millions online site's are filtered in Iran!

Roozonline- Shervin Omidvar

Judiciary advisor of the country's public prosecutor has reported yesterday that five millions internet site are filtered . He said: the Islamic Republic officials called this as a preventive action.

Mr. Abdolsamad Khoramabadi said ; Most of these five million filtered internet site in Iran had immoral and anti-social content. "

This is the first time a judiciary official is announcing about filtering millions of internet site.

According to a report by IRNA the official Islamic Republic News Agency ; the judiciary advisor to country's public prosecutor requested for the formation of a cyber police.

Also the advisor to the public prosecutor of the country called internet more dangerous to satellite because of its ocean of information and easier than satellite to have these information which causes more social damages to the society. The judiciary officials do filter 1000 internet site Monthly. Since 2006 more than 10,000,000 internet site has been filtered said Mr. Esmail Rakani. He also reported about the filtering of 5,000,000 new internet site. The head of a committee which is know as “ Comite taeen Masadiq” is with the Ministry of Information and a representative from each of the following ministries including Ministry of Guidance , Radio and Television of the Islamic Republic , office of the Cultural Revolution, Islamic Propaganda Organization and Ministry of Communication are member of this committee. “ Comite Taeen Masadiq “ started its activity seven years ago by cultural revolutionary council . Despite of request for registration of blogs and websites and threat of imprisonment for violators by Ahmadinejad’s Government including this committee; only 850 blogs and website were registered which shows a big NO to the request.
In the past the regime has even threatened the critical bloggers and web writers to death.

Two years imprisonment and 4000000 Tuman ( $4000) fine for bloggers and website writers who won’t follow the Islamic Republic newly passed bills !
Title: Iran Watch Canada
Roozonline- Shahram Rafizadeh – Nov.4/08

Judiciary commission in the Islamic Republic parliament approved a bill known as " Internet crimes" which makes it easy for officials to imprison and filter the websites and internet bloggs.

According to the judiciary commission some of the bills are about the punishments for those who produce the content of the sites in the internet.
Mr. Amin Hossain Rahimi has told to the ISNA reporter that : " For publishing lies and disturbing the public mind through internet, two years imprisonment has been considered."

Also, those who " through internet , film, sound will change the picture of others or distort and publish them in a way that may damage the reputation of people, will receive two years imprisonment plus four million Tuman ($4000) cash fine or both of the punishment"

Internet , is a dog with rabies and must be kept in leash !
Roozonline- Shahram Rafizadeh
The latest reaction of the officials against online media was the comment by conservative MP Mr. Yahyazadeh Jalal who have compared internet as " dog with rabies" .
He said: " If newspaper write ' not suitable ' topic , there are ways to make complaint or to stop it for doing, but there are topics in blogs which insult Islam and to the system ."
He added: "So should we not prevent the internet. Internet is like a dog with rabies we released and now we have to keep it in leash."
Link:
www.roozonline.com- Oct. 29/08

Websites to register and follow by-laws!
Iran newspaper-
Minister of Culture &Guidance Mr. Safar Harandi:
"With all the dificulties we had at present , the only things we could do was to say that, the websites to register . In our opinion if the websites do register themselves and follow the government by-laws , it is a progress ."