Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 31
By Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
During the last week messaging activity in Iran has increased, both via mobile phones and online social networks, as some 7.2 billion messages were sent, according to the Culture Minister of Iran Ali Jannati said, the Fars news agency reported Oct. 31.
The increased amount of messages was sent during the time that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was in the hospital due to a surgery that he underwent following prostate issues.
Ali Jannati was commenting on a statement made by Iran's Attorney General Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei on banning social networking websites, along with WhatsApp and Viber messaging apps, according to the report.
"I believe the use of social networking websites has both positive and negative sides," Jannati said. "We need to use their positive sides."
"During the 6 days of the supreme leader's stay in the hospital, 1,200 million SMS were sent via mobile operators, and 7,200 billion messages were sent through social networking websites, including Whats App and Viber," Jannati said.
He went on to add that among the messages there were the ones with negative content (23,000), as well as wishes for the supreme leader's speedy recovery (400 million).
Jannati said that Iran doesn't need to fight against these technologies, but to use them.
The judicial system of Iran banned the use of such messenger apps as WhatsApp, Viber and Tango.
The head of Iran's judicial system, Ayatollah Sadiq Amuli Larijani instructed the Communications and Information Technology Ministry of Iran to ban the use of WhatsApp, Viber, Tango and Messenger.
The attorney general's letter, sent to the communication and information technology minister, Mahmoud Vaezi, demanded to ban the use of these apps "as they are used to send messages insulting Islamic behaviour and supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini."
Mohseni-Ejei said if the instruction is not fulfilled within the specified period, measures will be taken within the law with regard to the persons not taking into account the courts' decisions.
Since Hassan Rouhani's taking office as Iran's president, the issue of banning the social networking websites in Iran has led to disagreements between the government and the judicial system of the country. And the disagreements are still present.
Earlier, the judicial system of Iran gave a 3-months period to the state to impose censorship on the Internet, but the government didn't take any measures.
Edited by SI