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Internet censors target ayatollahs, feminists and students

One has to wonder how Iran hopes to further its image when it is actively engaged in censoring the use by ayatollahs, feminists and students of the internet. On the one hand it wants to stride the world stage and be seen as responsible nation with nuclear power. On the other hand it can be seen as a country led by an erratic president - prone to make outrageous statements - and increasingly acting like a dictatorship.

"Reporters Without Borders is outraged that the Iranian government is reinforcing and extending its online censorship and repression of netizens. Several news and information websites have been blocked in the past few days including those of two influential Grand Ayatollahs, which have been inaccessible in Iran since 3 October. Online women’s rights and student activists are among those who continue to be questioned and threatened.

It is now the ayatollahs’ turn to be censored. It seems that the Islamic Republic’s government, led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supported by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can no longer tolerate the views of some of Iran’s leading clerics. Their websites cater to spiritual needs and are far from being news outlets or sources of information about opposition politics. But they are being targeted by the government. By preventing Muslims from visiting these sites, the Islamic Republic is taking censorship to a new level."

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