Iran Forcing Media To Shut Down

Having already prevented correspondents for Germany's ZDF and ARD from filing reports from Iran, authorities there are now blocking BBC Persian Service network reports, according to BBC.

Al-Arabiya, whose reports were frequently rebroadcast by Iranian state television, says on its website that its staffers have been instructed by Iranian authorities to take a week off. Officials reportedly told them to substitute official news reports for their own material.

The restrictions are not limited to foreign media. The pro-Musavi newspaper "Kalam-e Sabz" was closed down on June 14. Later the same night, Culture Ministry officials warned the reform-leaning "Etemad-e Melli" to delete the text of prepared articles regarding Karrubi's second public statement, in which he suggested the vote count was fraudulent and complained about the shuttering of "Kalam-e Sabz."

Instead of replacing the text, and against the wishes of censors who warned that "Etemad" could be shut down, the newspaper reportedly left sections blank.

-- Mazyar Mokfi