Media Follows Violent Retribution For Those Daring To Dissent

Michael Hedges September 26, 2022 - Follow on Twitter

Dissent is an expression. Protests are also expressions. But dissent reaches beyond chanting and carrying signs. It results from profound frustration. Media can be a vehicle for protest. Dissent is personal.

Iran’s infamous morality police arrested a young woman, as they do, for a dress code violation. Her hair, reportedly, was visible outside the hijab. 22 year old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini was taken away (September 13) and treated roughly. Three days later she was dead. Women across the country - mostly young - went to the streets to demonstrate. Other Iranians joined in. All were met by the security services.

The protest began modestly, spurred on by social media posts. Then a report posted by journalist Niloofar Hamedi revealed the un-released hospital autopsy report that detailed death due to blunt force trauma to the head. Iranian authorities released a different account, that Ms Amini died from a heart attack. Then swelled, arguably, the most significant episode of public dissent in Iran for more than a dozen years. Ms Hamedi worked for “reformist” newspaper Shargh. Days later (September 22) she was arrested.

Other Iranian reporters and photojournalists were arrested. Press freedom advocate Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported 17 media workers detained since protests commenced, noted France 24 (September 25). Photojournalist Yalda Moayeri was detained (September 20) and transferred to the Qarchak prison. Mukrian news agency editor Masoud Kordpur and his brother Khosro have also been arrested.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned UK Ambassador to Iran Simon Shercliff; reported Sky News (September 25), to complain about “critical Farsi-language media outlets based in London,” possibly referring to the Iran International channel, which also has English-language content. The BBC Persian service has been available since 2009. Several pro-regime news outlets are also located in London.

Internet monitor NetBlocks said several portals were inaccessible from September 21, including Skype, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and Instagram. “Curfew-style cellular network disruptions” are in place “to interrupt contact among protesters and leaking of footage from the protests,” said exile news outlet Iran International (September 25). Mobile internet access was “near total” disrupted.

Instagram, subsidiary of Facebook-owner Meta, reportedly deleted video related to the protests posted by Manoto TV, said RFE/RL Radio Farda (September 21), including those showing protestors chanting “death to the killer patrols,” an obvious reference to the Iranian morality police. Canadian content moderation sub-contractors, said Radio Farda, quoting German-Iranian journalist Bammad Esmaili, were offered “5,000 to 10,000 euros per account deleted.”

In an interesting twist, reported the Guardian (September 23), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reached out directly to SpaceX satellite provider principal Elon Musk for technical assistance in re-establishing internet service to Iranians, offering “eased export restrictions.” Mr. Musk responded in the affirmative: “Activating Starlink”. Starlink communications platforms have been provided to the Ukrainian military. Saturday night (September 24) a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 52 Starlink satellites blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“By targeting journalists amid a great deal of violence after restricting access to WhatsApp and Instagram, the Iranian authorities are sending a clear message that there must be no coverage of the protests,” said press freedom advocate Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) (September 23). In the 2022 RSF World Press Freedom Index Iran ranks 174th, just above Eritrea and North Korea.

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