Islamic Republic blocks sites of dissident clerics

Ayatollah Bayat Zanajani - Ayatollah Yousef Sanei

Iranian authorities have blocked the websites of dissident clerics, Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani and Ayatollah Yousef Sanei.

Opposition websites report that Iranians are now denied free access to the websites of these two senior members of the clergy.

Filtering of internet sites is under the supervision of the prosecutor general of Iran, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei. The authorities have not yet announced the reason for interference with the sites of these two clerics.

Ayatollah Sanei condemned the filtering of his site and announced in a statement that “restrictions on this information site and all print and internet media gauge the level of free speech in the country.”

Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastgheib, another dissident cleric whose website was blocked by the government, announced: “These gentlemen on the other side of the world contend that Iran is a free country and everyone can speak their mind and nothing will happen. These people are riding the train of lies but we cannot join them in their lies. We have spoken as usual and only want the truth to be said; what is written in the Quran and Islam to be said.”

Ayatollah Dastgheib claims that his site has been blocked because of his support for opposition leaders, MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as well as his criticism of the Assembly of Experts.

Ayatollah Dastgheib has repeatedly condemned government violence toward protesters who challenged the legitimacy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the 2009 presidential elections and called on the Assembly of Experts to re-examine the eligibility of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in view of his support for the violent oppression.

Islamic Republic is considered internationally as one of the top enemies of free speech on the internet.