Bloggers arrested in Iran

September 8, 2004 1:25 PM

Iran: Blogger/Journalists arrested over banned Reformist websites (stop.censoring.us)
posted by hoder (15 comments total)

Hoder, I realize this is an important issue for some of us, but considering that you've already posted on this twice in the last three weeks, do we really need another update, especially on such a thin story, and especially when it's a self-link?
posted by monju_bosatsu at 1:46 PM on September 8, 2004

A link a week is a drop in the bucket here. I don't see what the big deal is. Also, it is interesting to see how the story is playing out. The fact that he has summarized (I assume) information from weblogs written in Persian is also useful.
posted by chunking express at 2:23 PM on September 8, 2004

From the posting page itself:

(if you are posting a link to something you have created or were involved with the creation of, please use the TextAd service or the mefi-projects list to announce your work instead of posting a self-linking MetaFilter thread.)

posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:29 PM on September 8, 2004

This is completely different with last week because the newly arrested ones have been well-known active bloggers (Babak, Shahram) who have hepled the banned websites exploit the flexibility and ease of use of Blogger.com in order to beat the Judiciary officials who are desparately trying to shut these two websites.

Why this news is important? Because the hardliners have prevented reformists from having a sinlge news outlet by shutting down all their newspapers and now websites, while they already have an ultimate control on all other media.

Worth mentioning that the persion behind all this recent pressure is Saeed Mortazavi, the same man who is allegedly killed Zahra Kazemi, the Iranian-Canadian photographer.

I've explained more about this in a post on my own blog: Playing cat and mouse on the internet
posted by hoder at 2:38 PM on September 8, 2004

Hoder, I didn't say this wasn't important; I said (1) you've posted on it recently, and (2) it's a blatant self-link. Not cool.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:40 PM on September 8, 2004

i think that since he went out of the way to plug his site by mentioning the url after the link, it's clearly a selflink. geez, get a text-ad. and good work to monju-bosatsu
posted by bob sarabia at 2:42 PM on September 8, 2004

stop.censoring.us is a group blog focusing on Internet censorship in Iran whose reports have been regularely used by Reporters Without Borders and OpenNet Initiative as reliable sources.
posted by hoder at 2:46 PM on September 8, 2004

hoder: Now if you link to your persian weblog, you will have successfully completed the “hoder self-link trifecta”.
posted by naxosaxur at 2:55 PM on September 8, 2004

you registered the domain. SELF-LINK. it's also suspended now looks like.
posted by bob sarabia at 2:55 PM on September 8, 2004

The post is here now. What exactly is the point of whining in the thread that it is a self link. It won't change that fact. Start a Metathread if it is so offending, or ignore the post. As it stands, this post is now a discussion about self-linking, instead of a discussion on censorship in Iran. Self-link or not, this may have garnered some interesting discussion. As it stands it probably won't.
posted by chunking express at 3:07 PM on September 8, 2004

Anyway. Today in 1978, on this day, September the 8th, the Shah of Iran (well, not personally, but his army) killed 3000 unarmed protestors.

The following year (as I recall...no factchecking, sorry) Ayotollah Khomeini took power.

The Shah was installed by the USA in (I'm guessing) 1954. Many Persians (especially upper or middle class Persians, like my sister in law) liked him. He modernized Iran. More liberties for women, etc.

But his history of brutality has not magically evaorated, as many things seem to do in our (American) media culture. Our installation of The Shah has poisoned the history of the region.

What does this have to do with the above posts? Not much. I'd just like to focus on the issues more than the posting procedures, a sentence I've wanted to write a thousand times but never have.
posted by kozad at 5:57 PM on September 8, 2004

What does this have to do with the above posts? Not much

oh and i'm the asshole.
posted by bob sarabia at 12:14 AM on September 9, 2004

Bob, at least I didn't promote myself like you did here:
http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/35464.

The MP3 was pretty cool though and I'll link to it on my Persian blog.
posted by hoder at 11:00 PM on September 9, 2004

kozad - I seem to recall 1953 for the CIA reinstalling the Shah, but I too am relying only on memory (in my case very poor) - mostly of this book*. Please go on - this is interesting.

hoder - I am interested in knowing more about how the government is going about censoring the web in Iran. I understand how it would work if they forced everyone to use a government ISP, but what is the situation like currently? They are arresting bloggers who are located in Iran - but can they block pages hosted outside from being viewed?

*Autobiography of a remarkable woman, Sattareh Farman Farmaian, from her childhood in the days of the first Shah to the Islamic Revolution. In addition to knowing some of the important political figues, such as Dr Mossadgh, she also set up the first school of social work in Iran. Highly reccomended as both a historical and personal account.
posted by jb at 12:30 AM on September 26, 2004

Better link for Sattareh Farman Farmaian.
posted by jb at 12:34 AM on September 26, 2004