The Los Angeles Times recently reported an announcement by Iran’s official news agency announced that the Islamic Republic had crushed a network of allegedly anti-religious websites. The LAT also noted, in passing, that on the same day, Omid-Reza Mirsayafi, had expired in an Iranian jail. Mirsayafi was a young blogger serving time for having "insulted authorities" on his website.The Persian news agency described the government's successful crushing of a network of websites which had been,
... insulting religious sanctities and desecrating religious beliefs, insulting the Holy Koran and the innocent imams, promoting very deep ethical deviations in individuals and family members, advertising prostitution of Iranian girls, breaking the privacy of individuals, preparing hidden films and encouraging Iranian users to produce obscene and anti-religious contents.
The Times appropriately took this occasion of Mirsayafi's death from torture to remind it's readers that Reporters Without Borders had included the so-called Islamic Republic in a list of the 12 most egregious Enemies of the Internet: - Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam - have all transformed their Internet into an Intranet in order to prevent their population from accessing ‘undesirable’ online information. . . . All these countries distinguish themselves not only by their ability to censor online news and information but also by their virtually systematic persecution of troublesome Internet users. . . .The careful reader might have noticed I did not provide a link to support my assertion that Mirsayafi had been tortured to death.
That is because I am applying Vigilante's Presumption of Official Guilt (VPOG). It is applicable wherever there is governmental censure and suppression of the Internet, media and press. Whenever and wherever access is denied and journalists are intimidated and persecuted, assume the worst imaginable is true. Torture is sanctioned.Ask only of governments if they have nothing to hide, why do they hide everything?
Thanks for the timely story. I need to do a post on this too and appreciate the tip.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded that Iran is one of the few spots on earth where one cannot listen to Wizard Radio on the Internet. The potential influences of western music is not to be tolerated.
However our network (Live365) tracks listeners and occasionally we do get through. This Internet thingy is kind of slippery that way.
Hey, Wizard? What's the big idea, huh? Wizard can refer to Wizard's Radio but Vigilante cannot refer to Vigilante's Rules?
ReplyDeleteAnd if you are going to be that way, why not do the full monty (Wizard) and add (ad) a comment as to what readers have to do on their pooters to find Wizard's Radio to grab a listen?
Sad news...
ReplyDeleteHow are you Vig?
I wouldn't put it past the un-funs (damn, another New Speak word) to do the same thing if they could.
ReplyDeleteThe One World Christian Zealots' official news agency, the sole U.S. news source, announced that the U.S. of Christ crushed a network of allegedly anti-Christian websites.
All fundamentalism is not good for peace, understanding, and all living things.