Foreign Journalists in Iran Banned From Reporting on the Streets
After videos and images were shown around the world of mass protests and violence following the disputed election, the government on Tuesday cracked down on journalists. Iranian authorities are restricting all journalists working for foreign media from covering the election protests against the winner of last Friday’s election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The rules cover all journalists, including Iranians working for foreign media. It blocks images and eyewitness descriptions of the protests and violence that has followed last week’s disputed elections.
The order issued Tuesday limits journalists for foreign media to work only from their offices, conducting telephone interviews and monitoring official sources such as state television.
The crackdown on journalists prevent media outlets from sending independent photos or video of street protests or rallies.
A supporter of defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in Tehran.
The announcement comes after Iran’s state radio reported earlier Tuesday that seven people were killed during clashes in the Iranian capital the previous day. The report was the first official confirmation of deaths linked to street battles following the disputed election in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner by landslide.
The report said the deaths occurred after hundreds of thousands of Mir Hossein Mousavi supporters defied an official ban and marched through the city. An Associated Press photographer saw gunmen, standing on a roof, opening fire on a group of demonstrators who tried to storm the militia compound.
In addition to restricting foreign correspondents, Iran also blocked access to certain online communication tools and websites.
