12. The Guardian, “Iran bans fast internet to cut west’s
influence,” October 18, 2006.
13. Information Technology News Agency, “Speed limitation becomes permanent,” October 20, 2006,
http://www.itna.ir/archives/news/005618.php (in
Persian).
14. Article 19, Regulation of the Media in the Islamic
Republic of Iran, March 2006.
15. Bill on Punishment for Cyber Crimes (Cyber Crimes
Bill), October 12, 2006, http://www.hoqouq.com/
law/article522.html.
16. BBC Monitoring Middle East, translation of report of
Kayhan newspaper, “There were sound grounds for
banning Baztab website: MP,” February 25, 2007.
17. Ibid.
18. BBC Monitoring International Reports, citing text of
report by E’temad-e Melli, “Iran press Iranian
activists oppose regulation of websites, weblogs,”
January 2, 2007. See also Omid Memarian,
“Bloggers rebel at new censorship,” Inter Press
Service News Agency, January 10, 2007, reporting
that prohibited content includes criticism of religious
figures, sexual matters, content considered offensive
to the Ayatollah Khomeini, or content slanderous of
Islamic law.
19. BBC Monitoring International Reports, citing text of
report by E’temad-e Melli, “Iran press Iranian
activists oppose regulation of websites, weblogs,”
January 2, 2007.
20. Article 21, Bill on Punishment for Cyber Crimes
(Cyber Crimes Bill), October 12, 2006,
http://www.hoqouq.com/law/article522.html.
21. Note 2 of Article 1 of Iran’s Press Law (as amended
in 2000) defines electronic publications as “publications regularly published under a permanent name,
specific date and serial number … on different subjects such as news, commentary, as well as social,
political, economic, agricultural, cultural, religious,
scientific, technical, military, sports, artistic matters,
etc via electronic vehicles.” Publications must also
have obtained “publication licenses from the Press
Supervisory Board in the Ministry of Cultural and
Islamic Guidance,” otherwise they “fall out of the
scope of the Press law and become subject to
General Laws.”
22. Press Law, Article 6.
23. Press Law, Articles 26–27.
24. Article 19, Memorandum on Regulation of the Media
in the Islamic Republic of Iran, March 2006.
25. Islamic Penal Code of Iran, May 22, 1996, Article 500
states that “anyone who undertakes any form of
propaganda against the state ... will be sentenced to
between three months and one year in prison”; unofficial translation at http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm.
26. Islamic Penal Code of Iran, May 22, 1996, Articles
513–15; unofficial translation at
http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm.
27. Islamic Penal Code of Iran, May 22, 1996, Articles
697, 698, 700; unofficial translation at
http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm. Chapter 27 of the
Penal Code on libels and revilements, and more
specifically Article 698, only stipulate punishment for
statements made in the press and does not cover
writings in electronic format in computer and other
communication systems. As seen earlier, “press” is
defined in Article 1 of the Press Law, but the general
articulation of Article 698 subsumes both publications with and without licenses.
28. Human Rights Watch Report, False Freedom: Online
Censorship in the Middle East and North Africa: Iran,
November 2005, http://hrw.org/reports/2005/
mena1105/5.htm.
29. Decree on the Constitution of the Committee in
Charge of Determining Unauthorized Websites,
Official Gazette No. 16877.
30. Bill Samii, “Iran: Government strengthens its control
of the Internet,” Radio Free Europe, September 29,
2006, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/
2006/09/e6ed377e-7618-479d-8e0eb2917d6f9f92.html?napage=2.
31. BBC Monitoring Middle East, translation of report of
Kayhan newspaper, “There were sound grounds for
banning Baztab website: MP,” February 25, 2007.
32. http://www.theage.com.au/news/Technology/Iranlifts-ban-on-conservative-website/2007/03/20/
1174153008276.html.
33. Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), Interview with
Head of Iran Law Society, February 16, 2007,
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=
News-877388.
34. Information Technology News Agency “Report of an
ISP closure by judicial system agents,”
http://www.itna.ir/archives/article/000665.php
(accessed April 30, 2007).
35. Human Rights Watch Press Release, Iran: Prosecute
Torturers, Not Bloggers, December 12, 2006,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/12/12/iran14824.htm
. See also Human Rights Watch Report, Like the
Dead in Their Coffins: Torture, Detention, and the
Crushing of Dissent in Iran, June 7, 2004,
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/torture/iran/.
36. Bill Samii, “Iran: Government strengthens its control
of the Internet,” Radio Free Europe, September 29,
2006, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/
2006/09/e6ed377e-7618-479d-8e0e-b2917d6f9f92.
html?napage=2.
37. Ibid.
298
Country Summaries
influence,” October 18, 2006.
13. Information Technology News Agency, “Speed limitation becomes permanent,” October 20, 2006,
http://www.itna.ir/archives/news/005618.php (in
Persian).
14. Article 19, Regulation of the Media in the Islamic
Republic of Iran, March 2006.
15. Bill on Punishment for Cyber Crimes (Cyber Crimes
Bill), October 12, 2006, http://www.hoqouq.com/
law/article522.html.
16. BBC Monitoring Middle East, translation of report of
Kayhan newspaper, “There were sound grounds for
banning Baztab website: MP,” February 25, 2007.
17. Ibid.
18. BBC Monitoring International Reports, citing text of
report by E’temad-e Melli, “Iran press Iranian
activists oppose regulation of websites, weblogs,”
January 2, 2007. See also Omid Memarian,
“Bloggers rebel at new censorship,” Inter Press
Service News Agency, January 10, 2007, reporting
that prohibited content includes criticism of religious
figures, sexual matters, content considered offensive
to the Ayatollah Khomeini, or content slanderous of
Islamic law.
19. BBC Monitoring International Reports, citing text of
report by E’temad-e Melli, “Iran press Iranian
activists oppose regulation of websites, weblogs,”
January 2, 2007.
20. Article 21, Bill on Punishment for Cyber Crimes
(Cyber Crimes Bill), October 12, 2006,
http://www.hoqouq.com/law/article522.html.
21. Note 2 of Article 1 of Iran’s Press Law (as amended
in 2000) defines electronic publications as “publications regularly published under a permanent name,
specific date and serial number … on different subjects such as news, commentary, as well as social,
political, economic, agricultural, cultural, religious,
scientific, technical, military, sports, artistic matters,
etc via electronic vehicles.” Publications must also
have obtained “publication licenses from the Press
Supervisory Board in the Ministry of Cultural and
Islamic Guidance,” otherwise they “fall out of the
scope of the Press law and become subject to
General Laws.”
22. Press Law, Article 6.
23. Press Law, Articles 26–27.
24. Article 19, Memorandum on Regulation of the Media
in the Islamic Republic of Iran, March 2006.
25. Islamic Penal Code of Iran, May 22, 1996, Article 500
states that “anyone who undertakes any form of
propaganda against the state ... will be sentenced to
between three months and one year in prison”; unofficial translation at http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm.
26. Islamic Penal Code of Iran, May 22, 1996, Articles
513–15; unofficial translation at
http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm.
27. Islamic Penal Code of Iran, May 22, 1996, Articles
697, 698, 700; unofficial translation at
http://mehr.org/index_islam.htm. Chapter 27 of the
Penal Code on libels and revilements, and more
specifically Article 698, only stipulate punishment for
statements made in the press and does not cover
writings in electronic format in computer and other
communication systems. As seen earlier, “press” is
defined in Article 1 of the Press Law, but the general
articulation of Article 698 subsumes both publications with and without licenses.
28. Human Rights Watch Report, False Freedom: Online
Censorship in the Middle East and North Africa: Iran,
November 2005, http://hrw.org/reports/2005/
mena1105/5.htm.
29. Decree on the Constitution of the Committee in
Charge of Determining Unauthorized Websites,
Official Gazette No. 16877.
30. Bill Samii, “Iran: Government strengthens its control
of the Internet,” Radio Free Europe, September 29,
2006, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/
2006/09/e6ed377e-7618-479d-8e0eb2917d6f9f92.html?napage=2.
31. BBC Monitoring Middle East, translation of report of
Kayhan newspaper, “There were sound grounds for
banning Baztab website: MP,” February 25, 2007.
32. http://www.theage.com.au/news/Technology/Iranlifts-ban-on-conservative-website/2007/03/20/
1174153008276.html.
33. Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), Interview with
Head of Iran Law Society, February 16, 2007,
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=
News-877388.
34. Information Technology News Agency “Report of an
ISP closure by judicial system agents,”
http://www.itna.ir/archives/article/000665.php
(accessed April 30, 2007).
35. Human Rights Watch Press Release, Iran: Prosecute
Torturers, Not Bloggers, December 12, 2006,
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/12/12/iran14824.htm
. See also Human Rights Watch Report, Like the
Dead in Their Coffins: Torture, Detention, and the
Crushing of Dissent in Iran, June 7, 2004,
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/torture/iran/.
36. Bill Samii, “Iran: Government strengthens its control
of the Internet,” Radio Free Europe, September 29,
2006, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/
2006/09/e6ed377e-7618-479d-8e0e-b2917d6f9f92.
html?napage=2.
37. Ibid.
298
Country Summaries