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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran bans foreign media cover as student rally nears |
| 2009-12-07 |
| TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran on Saturday banned foreign media from reporting on a student rally next week that authorities fear could turn into a new round of protests against June's disputed presidential election. Police and elite Revolutionary Guards have warned that any "illegal" rally will be fiercely confronted on Monday when the country marks Student Day, commemorating the killing of three students in 1953 under the former Shah. "All permits issued for foreign media to cover news in Tehran have been revoked from December 7 to December 9," the Culture Ministry's foreign press department said on Saturday in an SMS text message sent to journalists, photographers and cameramen working for foreign media in Iran. In the past few days, Internet connections in Tehran have been either very slow or completely down. An official at Iran's telecommunications ministry told Reuters that Internet access and cellphone lines would be disabled on Monday. "Any illegal gathering outside universities will be strongly confronted," said police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, quoted in the Etemad newspaper. The Paris-based press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders said in a statement on Saturday that journalists were facing increasing difficulties in Iran. "The press freedom situation is getting worse by the day in Iran," it said. "Journalists who have chosen not to leave the country are being constantly threatened or summoned by the intelligence services, including the intelligence service of the Revolutionary Guards. Some have been given long prison sentences at the end of completely illegal judicial proceedings." The watchdog said 28 journalists and bloggers were currently detained and urged the authorities to release them. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 These people sound like they have a solid foundation of popular support for conquering the world alright. It should be a walkover. here comes Iran. Gonna GITCHA! yeah? The 13th IMAM..BuuhwwooBwahahHHaahmmmm... (organ music rises to a crescendo). |
| Posted by: Angleton9 2009-12-07 19:38 |