Reporters Without Borders has spoken out against the restrictions put on internet access in Iran, saying the government is trying to prevent Iranians from getting news and information in the lead-up to the presidential election.
The report indicates that since May 4, Iranian internet users have found it almost impossible to access the unfiltered internet, as “the use of the leading VPN censorship circumvention tools such as Kerio and OpenVPN has been blocked.”
The press rights organization adds that Ali Ghazali, the editor of the Baztab Emrooz website, has been arrested, another mark of state pressure on netizens in Iran.
Reporters Without Borders emphasizes that as a signatory to international conventions and as a member of the International Telecommunication Union, UNESCO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Iranian government should respect the right to unrestricted internet access.
The report goes on to condemn the incarceration of prisoners of conscience in Evin Prison’s Section 350, 10 of whom have been recently moved to solitary confinement, including three journalists: Said Madani, Siamak Ghadery and Abolfazl Abedini Nasr
