How Iran's people get around the mullahs' social media censorship

By Hassan Mahmoudi

Social media websites are fantastic tools that allow us to share the joy of fabulous news from friends, family, and neighbors, whether birthday greetings, wishes for the New Year, or thanksgiving.  We are able to sympathize with our companions when they share their sad stories.  We see news stories that can be disturbing, like the Syrian chemical attack, flash floods, blazes in forests, horrors in prisons, violation of human rights...  There is no question about it: advanced smartphone technology has played a key role in shaping the influence of social media.  But unfortunately, this fantastic tool, despite its easy use and access, is not available to all the people of the world.
In 2014, Reporters Without Borders designated 19 countries as "enemies of the internet" for actions ranging from social media censorship in Iran to North Korea walling its citizens off from the global web entirely. 

Despite the "enemies of the internet" designation of shame, only six countries actively block social media networks around the world.
Iran is the leading country that blocks its citizens from accessing internet.  In Iran, the internet and social media apps are heavily restricted and censored, because the government views any form of internet freedom as a threat to its mullah regime.
Iran bars social media and internet, yet it has long been a battleground there between the jubilant Iranians who seek freedom and the authorities who feel they must protect the regime from dangerous influences that could topple it.  Websites and social media have been blocked in Iran since huge antigovernment protests exploded after the disputed presidential election in 2009.
In the absence of a free and unrestrained press in Iran, users inside the country utilize Twitter to bypass state censorship mechanisms and challenge government narratives aiming at concealing the brutality of the government's violent crackdown on the protesters.  They also use a social media app called Telegram to discuss news and politics.
According to the recent report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, as the regime in Iran faces a variety of crises, the deputy public prosecutor said concerns about cyberspace have become extremely worrisome for Tehran.
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei is cited in this report as saying, in his usual violent language, that cyberspace is the "killing ground" of the country's youth, in reality meaning that this is where they learn the truth about the regime ruling Iran.  The mullahs claim to be concerned about the youth and Islamic values and how cyberspace activities and social media undermine them, but the reality is, they are thinking of themselves.
With all the media assets at its disposal, why can't the regime properly confront this threat?
The truth is that concerns about "religion and faith" are not the regime's concerns, as its own officials have in interviews acknowledged the fact that improper posts are blocked by Telegram administrators.
"More than 30% of these Telegram channels are involved in criminal activities against the country's security and disrupting the entire nation," said Iran's deputy public prosecutor, Abdolsamad Khoramabadi.
Of course, the main target of these remarks are the Telegram channels belonging to the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
"[W]e are left incapable on the internet.  The supreme leader has said time and again that this cyberspace is uncontrollable. ... [I]t is unacceptable to have 8,000 orders in this regard and not being able to do anything," Khoramabadi said.
This official also admits that the MEK will continue its activities even without Telegram, yet this platform has provided the MEK the means to accelerate the pace of its efforts.
In addition to speed, the Iranian people having access to MEK criteria has left the regime terrified.
"The MEK Telegram channel inside Iran is very active[.] ... [A]ll the regime's opponents are providing the people all their books and written material through this online platform.  If you seek to purchase them, you have to pay huge amounts of money.  If you wanted to publish a book, it would be very demanding, but on the internet, it is quite easy," Khoramabadi added.
While the Iranian regime can completely block these websites, why has this issue reached the media?
The regime in Tehran is truly facing an impasse in the face of Telegram.  It can't completely block the website, as it needs the platform for its own purposes, and it also cannot block only certain channels.
If Iran blocks Telegram in its entirety, it will come with heavy political and social impacts, leaving this regime facing 40 million angry users.  Furthermore, this will not resolve the entire issue, and these users will most certainly find another platform.
The Iranian regime has time and again negotiated with Telegram's managers to block the MEK website and associated channels, only to be rejected each time.  This has left Tehran facing an impasse.
Either accept the MEK's vast network with all its grave consequences, or pay the ultimate price of blocking Telegram.  The latter would raise even more questions.
Hassan Mahmoudi is a human rights advocate, specializing in political and economic issues relating to Iran and the Middle East.  @hassan_mahmou1

Social media websites are fantastic tools that allow us to share the joy of fabulous news from friends, family, and neighbors, whether birthday greetings, wishes for the New Year, or thanksgiving.  We are able to sympathize with our companions when they share their sad stories.  We see news stories that can be disturbing, like the Syrian chemical attack, flash floods, blazes in forests, horrors in prisons, violation of human rights...  There is no question about it: advanced smartphone technology has played a key role in shaping the influence of social media.  But unfortunately, this fantastic tool, despite its easy use and access, is not available to all the people of the world.
In 2014, Reporters Without Borders designated 19 countries as "enemies of the internet" for actions ranging from social media censorship in Iran to North Korea walling its citizens off from the global web entirely. 
Despite the "enemies of the internet" designation of shame, only six countries actively block social media networks around the world.
Iran is the leading country that blocks its citizens from accessing internet.  In Iran, the internet and social media apps are heavily restricted and censored, because the government views any form of internet freedom as a threat to its mullah regime.
Iran bars social media and internet, yet it has long been a battleground there between the jubilant Iranians who seek freedom and the authorities who feel they must protect the regime from dangerous influences that could topple it.  Websites and social media have been blocked in Iran since huge antigovernment protests exploded after the disputed presidential election in 2009.

In the absence of a free and unrestrained press in Iran, users inside the country utilize Twitter to bypass state censorship mechanisms and challenge government narratives aiming at concealing the brutality of the government's violent crackdown on the protesters.  They also use a social media app called Telegram to discuss news and politics.
According to the recent report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, as the regime in Iran faces a variety of crises, the deputy public prosecutor said concerns about cyberspace have become extremely worrisome for Tehran.
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei is cited in this report as saying, in his usual violent language, that cyberspace is the "killing ground" of the country's youth, in reality meaning that this is where they learn the truth about the regime ruling Iran.  The mullahs claim to be concerned about the youth and Islamic values and how cyberspace activities and social media undermine them, but the reality is, they are thinking of themselves.
With all the media assets at its disposal, why can't the regime properly confront this threat?
The truth is that concerns about "religion and faith" are not the regime's concerns, as its own officials have in interviews acknowledged the fact that improper posts are blocked by Telegram administrators.
"More than 30% of these Telegram channels are involved in criminal activities against the country's security and disrupting the entire nation," said Iran's deputy public prosecutor, Abdolsamad Khoramabadi.
Of course, the main target of these remarks are the Telegram channels belonging to the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
"[W]e are left incapable on the internet.  The supreme leader has said time and again that this cyberspace is uncontrollable. ... [I]t is unacceptable to have 8,000 orders in this regard and not being able to do anything," Khoramabadi said.
This official also admits that the MEK will continue its activities even without Telegram, yet this platform has provided the MEK the means to accelerate the pace of its efforts.
In addition to speed, the Iranian people having access to MEK criteria has left the regime terrified.
"The MEK Telegram channel inside Iran is very active[.] ... [A]ll the regime's opponents are providing the people all their books and written material through this online platform.  If you seek to purchase them, you have to pay huge amounts of money.  If you wanted to publish a book, it would be very demanding, but on the internet, it is quite easy," Khoramabadi added.
While the Iranian regime can completely block these websites, why has this issue reached the media?
The regime in Tehran is truly facing an impasse in the face of Telegram.  It can't completely block the website, as it needs the platform for its own purposes, and it also cannot block only certain channels.
If Iran blocks Telegram in its entirety, it will come with heavy political and social impacts, leaving this regime facing 40 million angry users.  Furthermore, this will not resolve the entire issue, and these users will most certainly find another platform.
The Iranian regime has time and again negotiated with Telegram's managers to block the MEK website and associated channels, only to be rejected each time.  This has left Tehran facing an impasse.
Either accept the MEK's vast network with all its grave consequences, or pay the ultimate price of blocking Telegram.  The latter would raise even more question

Visit by European Officials to Iran Amidst Executions

Is insult to universal values of human rights

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran strongly condemns the visit of Ms. Mogherini and other European officials to Iran under the rule of religious fascism, and participation in the inauguration of its illegitimate president. These travels, while at least 101 executions took place in Iran in July, are an insult to the universal human rights values of which the EU considers itself as protector and defender.

Any investment in the mullahs’ regime - while all signs indicate that it is entering its final phase - are doomed to fail with losses, leaving only this image of Europe in the minds of the Iranian people that they are throwing a rescue rope toward the regime.

Rouhani, who wears a mask of moderation, has no other mission than to keep in power the system of Valayat-e-Faqih (supreme religious rule) and delaying its overthrow. The people of Iran, with the slogan "No to the executioner, no to the imposter; my vote is regime change," expressed their abhorrence toward the recent sham elections and its so-called "candidates", who were all appointed by the Supreme Leader of the regime. More than 3,000 prisoners have been executed during Rouhani’s first term as president. Rouhani describes these executions as carrying out "the law of God or the law approved by the Majlis". In 1980 in parliament he publicly called for the execution of the regime’s opponents during Friday prayers. He is one of the high ranking officials responsible for the suppression, the production of the nuclear bomb, warmongering and killings in the region.

Khamenei has repeatedly said, "If we did not stop the enemy in Syria, we would have to stop them in Tehran, Fars, Khorasan and Esfahan". Rouhani also confessed that if the Revolutionary Guards were "not resisting in Baghdad and Samarra, and in Fallujah and Ramadi, and if they did not help the Syrian government in Damascus and Aleppo, we would not have security to negotiate this well in the nuclear deal" (February 8, 2016).

Khamenei said on May 10, 2017: "The enemies want change in the behavior of the regime ... the change of behavior means the destruction of the Islamic system."

Rouhani's cabinet members have played a major role in the war, suppression and the export of terrorism and fundamentalism. His first term Minister of Justice, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, was one of the key officials responsible for the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988.

During Rouhani’s tenure, suppression of political opponents and human rights defenders, workers, women, teachers, lawyers, journalists and internet activists have intensified. Political prisoners are not released even after the end of their sentences. Killings under torture, slow deaths and annihilation of prisoners, and suspicious deaths in prisons continue. Repression and discrimination against women, which are institutionalized in the regime’s laws, expanded with gender separation and suppressive law of "chastity and hijab". Different ethnic groups and nationalities were suppressed more than before. The repression of Sunni Muslims intensified, attacks on domestic churches and arbitrary detentions and pressure against followers of other religions intensified.

Investing in moderation in the Velayat-e Faqih regime, whose record includes 120,000 political executions, is tantamount to strengthening the harshest factions of the regime against the Iranian people and peace and tranquility in the region. No change in Iran can be imagined without the end of repression, execution and torture, aggressive meddling in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and ending the nuclear and missile projects. Any relationship with the Iranian regime must be made conditional upon a suspension of executions and an improvement of the human rights situation. This is the will of the Iranian people and is necessary for peace and tranquility in the region and the world.

THE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN IRAN IS NOT DECREASING BUT ARE IN FACT INCREASING.

THE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN IRAN IS NOT DECREASING BUT ARE IN FACT INCREASING.

By Zohair Ahmad
On the Iran Human Rights Monitor there are many cases of human rights abuse listed, lists of female prisoners, juveniles, and political prisoners who are under enormous pressure of the Iranian regime’s policy of suppression and abuse.  The worst cases are the ones when the prisoner was a child when the crime was committed and he was sentenced to death. As soon as he is an adult he will be executed.

In the Iranian juridical system, a girl as young as 9 is judged as adults, this means that she can be sentenced to death at the age of 9. She can also be forced into marriage under the mullah’s regime laws. Boys are being sentenced as adults at the tender age of 12, both still children in our eyes.  Another issue by the Iranian regime’s justice system is the public executions, they are only there for the very reason to oppress and scare people from protesting against the murderous mullahs regime.  Even children are forced to watch this cruel event. And in Iran building cranes are not used for constructions bu

t to hang people. The reason for this is disgusting, when hoisted up in a crane you suffocate to death, the victim suffers terribly fo
r several minutes before death. This is medieval torture and has no place in a civilized society.

When the medieval regime of the mullahs are toppled one of the points on NCRI’s ten point plan for Iran is to abolish the death penalty. Being politically active in Iran can get you into prison or get you executed. It is not allowed to disagree with the dictator mullahs. Several prisoners of conscience have been denied medical attention as a part of the daily torture they have to endure.  This will also change when the regime is gone, all political parties will be allowed and all religions will be equal. Not as today, during Ramadan youth of different faith’s was flogged for not upholding the fast.