March 6, 2012
This week was dominated by news of parliamentary elections, and threats of war, Asghar’s Oscar continued to bring some joy to people and to be a […]
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February 28, 2012
Iran’s Civil Society in the News: Arseh Sevom Round-up of Top Stories from the Week of February 19-25 Contents Hunger Strikes and Heresy: Prisoners of Conscience […]
February 23, 2012
Arseh Sevom — Despite censorship, Iran has managed to maintain a healthy number of bookstores and interest in reading. In December of 2011, however, a staggering […]
February 20, 2012
Arseh Sevom --- The Islamic Republic ratcheted up its attacks on Iranian citizens this past week. As you are reading this digest, the Iranian prisoner of conscience Mohsen Aminzadeh, is fighting for his life due to deteriorating health, and the death sentence of an IT expert, Saeed Malekpour, was confirmed by judicial authorities.Stifling DissentOn the 14th of February, security forces filled the streets of Tehran and other large cities in an attempt to nip in the bud any sign of possible opposition gatherings and dissent. Calls had been made for a silent protest, marking one year since opposition leaders Moussavi and Karroubi were placed under house arrest. Reports of several arrests were broadcast on media.The Butcher of the PressA long awaited verdict in the case against the chief prosecutor of Tehran, Saeed Mortazavi, shocked civil society activists. Mortazavi, known as the "butcher of the press," and on trial for the torture and death of prisoners at Iran's notorious Kharizak detention center, was found “vindicated.”
February 14, 2012
For those of you who read Arseh Sevom’s recent post about Walid Al-Saqaf (click here) and his circumvention tool, Alaksir, you know the Iranian government is […]
February 14, 2012
Arseh Sevom --- Reports from the Islamic Republic of Iran about internet speeds, work to create a parallel cyber Iran, and the growing success of filtering systems paint a picture of desperate efforts to exert control over the population. Iran is not alone in its efforts. North Korea has their own "intranet" called Kwang Myong ("light" or "hope, fair, just, open"). The North Korean version duplicates external content it deems acceptable. Iran's new closed intranet is expected to do the same, in a cyber version of what the state already does in traditional media by cherry-picking content from international sources and editing or translating it in ways that often distort the original meaning.
February 13, 2012
ARSEH SEVOM --- The anniversary of the fall of the Shah and the success of the revolution (February 11) is now marked by decreased internet connection speed, increased security, and fears of demonstrations in Iran.In addition to decreased bandwidth, the Islamic Republic is in the process of creating a parallel cyber-world. Instead of spending time and energy filtering sites using a blacklist, the regime is creating a "whitelist" of acceptable sites. Everything is blocked except sites deemed appropriate by the regime. It's a kind of "shoot first, ask questions later" policy. Instead of the "old" Orkut — an early social media site which was a hit in Iran before it was filtered — and the "new" Facebook, they offer websites such as www.cloob.com. Instead of Youtube (for video uploading) they offer www.aparat.com and instead of Google’s Blogspot they have www.Mihanblog.com. Even these sites can end up filtered at "sensitive" times, such as the days leading up to the anniversary of the revolution. In addition, content that does not meet their terms of use is quickly deleted from view.
February 11, 2012
NGOs around the world Condemn Persistent Crackdowns on Egyptian Civil Society and reject disabling draft NGO Law. Civicus has joined with other organizations to issue a […]
February 9, 2012
In the lead up to the upcoming parliamentary elections, Iran is cracking down on free expression and civil society organizations. Netizens, bloggers, and reporters have found themselves swept up in a wave of arrests; passage of the Islamic Penal Code further codifies human and civil rights violations into law; and one of the Islamic Republic's longest running civil society organizations is shut down.