Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

The Dangers of the Iranian Blogosphere

A Washington Times editorial highlights the “world’s bravest bloggers.” Hailing from Iran at 80,000 strong, they live under “constant threat of surveillance, harassment and imprisonment.” Iran’s blogosphere took off in 2001, as more and more journalists were forced out of their jobs and set up shop online

Facebook Digg Yahoo Del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon Mixx Google

A Washington Times editorial highlights the “world’s bravest bloggers.” Hailing from Iran at 80,000 strong, they live under “constant threat of surveillance, harassment and imprisonment.” Iran’s blogosphere took off in 2001, as more and more journalists were forced out of their jobs and set up shop online. The regime has mounted a counterattack, setting up filters and invoking various intimidation tactics. And “in 2008, the regime reached the pinnacle of blogger oppression with a draft law that imposes the death penalty for facad - undermining the authority or stability of the state - which is a dangerously vague and sufficiently elastic charge that could slip any blogger’s head into the noose.”

However, as little other alternatives exist to express free thought, bloggers continue to risk it all in an effort to speak out about freedom, human dignity, and the need for reform in Iran.

The Source