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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran blocks access to Khatami's website |
| 2010-11-09 |
| [Al Arabiya] As part of its campaign against reformists, the Iranian government blocked on Friday access to the website of former president and leading opposition figure Mohamed Khatami. ... Think of him as Aleksandr Karensky with a turban, only he hasn't had to leave the country ... Representatives of the ministries of education, culture and Islamic guidance, justice, and telecommunications met with media experts and members of parliament under the chairmanship of Iran's general prosecutor and decided to block the website of Mohamed Khatami, seen by the regime as one of the main causes of political instability in the country. The decision, which means the website cannot be accessed from inside Iran, is based on article 23 of the electronic publishing penal code, according to a note on the website. The government did not issue a prior warning to the website's administrators whether verbal or written and did not provide an explanation for blocking the website, according to the report. Mohamed Khatami has been considered an 'enemy of the state' and accused of inciting political unrest since he supported reformist Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the 2009 presidential elections, which earned, under strong controversy, the incumbent Mahmoud Short RoundAhmadinejad another term in office. The decision to block the website is part of a series of actions by the government to tighten the noose around Khatami in order to weaken the opposition that has been gaining momentum since accusing the government of rigging presidential election. Jaras News website, the semi-official mouthpiece of the opposition Green Movement, reported in March that the government had withdrawn Khatami's passport then returned it later. He was also banned from travelling to Japan to attend a conference. Khatami started gaining international recognition for his proposal Dialogue Among Civilizations during his presidency (1997-2005). Based on this proposal, the UN made year 2001 the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society' Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations. That worked well... Khatami had intended to run in the 2009 presidential elections then withdrew to make way for his friend former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Since the political unrest that swept the country in the aftermath of the 2009 elections, Iranian authorities have blocked access to several opposition websites, all of which can only be accessed from outside the country. |
| Posted by:Fred |