Blogging provides Iranians with a critical public voice

"Weblogs are one weapon that even the Islamic Republic cannot beat" was the recent comment of Iranian blogger Saena. Persian ranks as the second most popular blogging language (along with French) after English, and 10 000 Iranian authored blogs currently exist online (both inside Iran and amongst the diaspora).

These blogs reprint articles concerning Iran written in the foreign press, treat controversial subjects such as the foreign minister's statement about eliminating Israel and give opinions not otherwise voiced in the mainstream Iranian press. 

Diaspora Blogs
Iranian bloggers writing outside Iran have a unique opportunity to escape the Islamic Republic's censorship and thus influence the campaign for democracy and freedom of speech inside Iran.

Hossein Derakhshan, who has both an English and Persian blog and is an Iranian living in Canada is described by Jeff Jarvis as "one of the great pioneers of international blogging and freedom of speech online."  

Given that, as Jarvis says, Derakhshan is "a friend of democracy and, one should assume, America", the fact that he has been banned from entering the United States for six months is alarming.

Problems
Firstly, the press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders recently included Iran in its list entitled 'The fifteen enemies of the internet' (see previous posting). Additionally, although no anti-blogging legislation currently exists, bloggers could potentialy be charged with 'morality violations' in connection with the content of their blogs.

In fact over the past year a number of Iranian bloggers have been arrested, beaten, and charged with various crimes, such as insulting regime leaders (see previous posting); for example Omid Sheikan was sentenced to one year in prison and 124 lashings one month ago for publishing a series of cartoons of Iranian politicians on his blog.

Against The Odds
Despite government clamp downs Iranian blogs still exist, and new ones are appearing all the time. Lillian Swift says: "Iranian authorities are fighting a losing battle to crush these new outlets of dissent. As fast as one perpetrator is tracked down and closed, another rises in its place and takes up the cause."  

Source: news.Telegraph, Buzz Machine, Journalism.co.uk