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A senior official of the Islamic Republic Police once again threatened users of cyberspace and declared it a “crime” to “republish and publish opinion polls” that were reflected in “unofficial channels and from unknown sources.”
Fata Faraja police chief Vahid Majid also considered it a crime to publish polls “regarding elections or election candidates” or to publish material against candidates.
The FATA police chief also reiterated to users that “they should be careful not to post and forward any content that encourages, incites or persuades to reduce participation in sanctions” or calls for rallies and sit-ins, or any acts of disrupting elections in cyberspace” are considered crimes.
The senior police officer considered it a criminal act to post content “to create terror among those who want to vote” and reported dealing with users of cyberspace.
Earlier, government media cited the judiciary’s media center as announcing a new round of criminalization and control of news coverage during the “elections” in the Islamic Republic of Iran, targeting some websites and newspapers.
Criminalizing media activities during elections under various pretexts is aimed at making news coverage uniform and safe; it is one of the traditional ways the Islamic Republic suppresses media freedom and controls the flow of information.
Reporters Without Borders has rated the Islamic Republic of Iran as “one of the most repressive governments in the world” in terms of media freedom, ranking Iran 177th out of 180 countries in its report on freedom of expression.
FATA Police Chief Waheed Majid had previously announced that “34 special operations teams” were “monitoring events related to the holding of elections across the country” in order to control the cyberspace in the virtual and media space while discussions about the elections were taking place.
In recent days, we have seen the judicial authorities announce criminal cases against some media outlets. While the presidential candidate wanted by the government has begun advertising, some journalists who had previously been prosecuted in court have been arrested and imprisoned.
The upcoming elections on July 8 have been described by netizens as a “demonstration military action,” “election circus,” “stand-up comedy” and “funny show,” as well as political elections. Observers said the introduction of six “election circus performers” showed that Khamenei’s circle of relatives had shrunk.
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