A Green Tsunami Rocks Iran amid Widespread Official Censorship

In scenes reminiscent of the Tiananmen uprising in China 20 years ago, pro-opposition protesters staged a demonstration that stretched out for five miles in Teheran, according to reports, demanding an investigation over alleged fraud in the country's general election. The country's election authorities have declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner in a landslide victory.

Up to two million people participated in the march, which went on mostly peacefully until the end, when clashes between followers of opposition candidate Mir Hossain Moussavi, many of them clad in green, and President Ahmadinejad left at least one person dead and several injured.

One of the several pro-Mousavi demonstrators who were shot
during the massive rally protesting the election results (EPA photo)
 
Meantime, the Canadian News Wire, quoting reports from Reporters without Borders (RSF), informs that the Ahmadinejad government has intensified its crackdown on independent journalists and "all sorts of media."

"Journalists are still being arrested and more censorship measures have been adopted as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's allies try to suppress media coverage of fraud allegations," CNW said, adding that official censorship has also intensified on the Internet.

The authorities have also launched a broad offensive against the Internet, controlling and blocking all news websites likely to challenge Ahmadinejad's announced victory. Ten or so pro-opposition websites have been censored.

They include www.entekhab.ir/ (inaccessible since 11 June), www.ayandenews.com/ (inaccessible since 12 June), teribon.com/, the pro-reform sites khordadeno.com/, aftabnews.ir/index.php and ghalamesabz.com/, norooznews.ir (the news website of the pro-Mousavi Islamic Participation Party) and www.ghalamsima.com/ (which also supports the Mousavi campaign). And the women's rights website www.we-change.org/ has been blocked for the 20th time.

The international websites YouTube and Facebook are hard to access. The mobile phone network is being jammed. The service of the leading mobile phone operator, which is state controlled, has been suspended since 10 p.m. on 13 June. The SMS messaging network has been cut since the morning of 12 June, preventing use of Twitter.

CNW also reports that the Iranian government has intensified its censorship of foreign media as well, in an effort to silence all those who are questioning Ahmadinejad's victory.

The blockage of the foreign media has been stepped up. In addition to the blocking of the BBC's website, the Farsi-language satellite broadcasts of the VOA and BBC - which are very popular in Iran - have been partially jammed. The BBC reported that their Farsi broadcasts have been the target of significant jamming "coming from Iran" since 1245 GM on 12 June, and that the jamming has been getting steadily worse.

The authorities yesterday ordered the Tehran bureau of the Arab satellite TV news station Al-Arabiya closed for a week after it broadcast video of the first demonstration following the announcement of Ahmadinejad's reelection.

Foreign journalists have been prevented from covering the demonstrations, some have been notified that their visas will not be renewed, and some have been the victims of police violence. A member of a TV crew working for the Italian station RAI and a Reuters reporter were beaten by police in the capital. A BBC TV crew was threatened by police at one point, but demonstrators chased the police away. The correspondents of the German TV stations ARD and ZDF were forbidden to leave their hotel on 13 June.

Two Dutch TV journalists working for Nederland 2 were arrested and expelled. Reporter Yolanda Alvarez of the Spanish television station TVE was deported together with her crew today.

Also quoting RSF, CNW says several journalists have been arrested after the election results were announced on Friday night. At least five of them remain under custody.