On the occasion of the Day of Action against Censorship, Iran’s Writers’ Association announced that the Islamic Republic government continues to impose censorship in various and complex ways.
In a statement, the association writes that in the past year, despite President Rohani’s election promises, censorship has continued to affect book publishing, the arts, the press and the internet, impeding freedom of speech.
They report that publishers are kept waiting for publishing permits, internet users are subjected to arrest and questioning, and many internet sites continue to be blocked.
The statement also refers to journalists being arrested, which make it a highly hazardous occupation for Iranians.
The Writers’ Association cites the jamming of satellite programming as a serious form of government censorship imposed because it both violates the right of the public to access these programs and compromises their health.
Iran’s Department of the Environment has called for an end to the use of interference waves to jam satellite programming, confirming that they can be linked to cancer.
