Cyber Freedom Battle! Shattered Hopes!
An FCN reporter from Iran reports that there are deep gaps between the ideals, hopes and promises of President Hassan Rouhani for a freer and more moderate Iran and an independent judicial and legal system that previously tried to hide its hostility toward Rouhani’s moderates, but has now apparently entered into an open and public battle with him.
According to BBC Persian: Following the announcement of the summons of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, to a court in Fars Province by the “Deputy for Information Technology and New Media of the Cyber Space Center of the Basij,” the Prosecutor General of Shiraz denied this news, which gained international attention within hours.
The Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, citing Ali Ghasi Mehr, General and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Shiraz, wrote that there are complaints about Facebook “regarding the publication of certain images and videos,” but “news that was published on some virtual websites indicating the summons of Zuckerberg, Facebook’s manager, by the judiciary of Fars is completely denied.”
According to IRNA, the Prosecutor of Shiraz also denied the filtering of WhatsApp and Instagram applications.
Earlier, the Iranian Students News Agency reported that an Iranian judge had summoned Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook and the main founder of this social network, to a court in Fars Province.
ISNA news agency on Tuesday, Khordad 6 (May 27) clickthis news quoting Rouhollah Momennasab, “Deputy for Information Technology and New Media of the Cyber Space Center of the Basij of the Country,” but gave no further explanation about the name of the summoning judge or the city of his jurisdiction.
Many conservatives ruling the Islamic Republic view Facebook as a tool for espionage by Western countries against the government and as a precursor to moral deviations in Iranian society.
Mr. Momennasab in his Tuesday remarks called Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook social network, a “Zionist” and said that based on the judge’s ruling, he or his legal representative should “refer to the judiciary of this province to defend himself and compensate for past damages.”
He also said: “The judiciary of Fars Province, in addressing the complaint of a number of citizens regarding violations of their privacy and problems with WhatsApp messenger and Instagram software, has opened a case, and this judicial body has also ruled to block and confiscate these two software programs.”
WhatsApp and Instagram, which are virtual networks for communication between Internet users, have recently come under pressure from Iranian conservatives who, contrary to the view of Hassan Rouhani’s government, are seeking to filter them.
The Islamic Republic of Iran blocked access to Facebook following the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, although Iranian users continue to use this social network by using proxy servers.
With the start of Hassan Rouhani’s government, officials of the new government have spoken at various occasions about the need to lift the Facebook filter, but their positions have met with strong reactions from conservatives.
