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iranwire – A professional journalists’ association in Iran has protested a wave of government-ordered website blockages targeting independent news outlets, calling the actions illegal and a threat to press freedom.
The Tehran Journalists’ Association issued a statement denouncing what it described as “eliminationist and extralegal actions” against media and reporters in the Islamic Republic, where authorities tightly control information and routinely shut down outlets critical of the government.
In recent weeks, Iranian authorities have blocked the websites and social media channels of at least five news organizations, including Entekhab, Rokna, Asia, DidarNews, and, most recently, the Ham-Mihan newspaper.
These outlets are among the few remaining independent media organizations in Iran operating outside direct state control.
According to press freedom groups, Iran ranks among the world’s most restrictive countries for journalists.
The government frequently blocks websites, imprisons reporters, and shuts down publications it deems a threat to national security or Islamic values.
The journalists’ association said independent media have demonstrated greater professionalism than state-run outlets during national crises but continue to face the harshest restrictions.
The group accused authorities of acting outside legal frameworks to silence critical voices.
The statement called on Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Press Supervisory Board, the government bodies officially responsible for regulating media, to resist pressure from hardline security and intelligence agencies that often bypass official channels to censor news organizations.
The association warned that continued restrictions suggest parts of Iran’s government are abandoning the rule of law and yielding to factional political pressures.
It said that recognizing the rights of independent media is essential to prevent further abuses by groups “accustomed to acting outside the law.”
