Few days ago, Iranians took to the streets once again, unafraid of arrest, tear gas, batons, and bullets. Their online counterparts work in tandem, airing minute to minute observations as they receive them, and 20 February was no exception. At about 4pm London time, footage starts coming through — that's the way it's been since the people's protests began in June 2009 — as they return home to upload and send what they've managed to film. Only this time, at exactly the expected hour, the websites of the most valued sources of information were hacked. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) battled on, using the most effective method of preventing the outside world from gaining any glimpse of what occurred.
Littleblackfish of Index on Censorship witnessed this live on Street Journalist. The accompanying song and its message could send a chill down your spine, or you could chuckle at the ironically American choice of the Michael Jacksonesque voice singing resolutions in a style more evocative of pre-superbowl renditions of the Star Spangled Banner.
That Street Journalist was targeted is no surprise. The site is an all round source of reliable news from Iran in English and was the first to provide live blogging at Ashura in 2009, when it received some 15 million hits.
Littleblackfish spoke to Street Journalist's Editor-in-Chief, Saeed Valadbaygi:
"There have been various attacks against the site over the last 12 months. But their stance has changed; now, even if it says it's the work of a Saudi group, it's the Cyber Army. Iran's Cyber Army attacked VOA [Voice of America satellite channel] on Sunday but they diffuse their efforts, seeming not to recognise us with the same standing, to not give Street Journalist the kudos. But there was a wave of attacks against Iranian media on that same day.
This is a very real element of our work. As well as bringing the site down, four members of our team received emails, with the following threat:
`We have hacked you. This is your first warning. If you continue there may be a hefty price — physically and socially — we will stop you.'
At Street Journalist the work we do has no financial backing, and is not affiliated to any political group. It's the work of a few dedicated people and the editor of the day, providing news, a mirror of events in Iran. It is linked to social movements as a reference point of activity — the women's movement, children's movement, workers' movement.
The two words "Street" and "Journalist" denote journalism that reflects the voice of the street and suffers the baton along with the people. We're not Green but we care about justice and rights. Oppression is taking place and we must report it. We're not for Islam or the Islamic Republic, in the same way that we're not Christian or Jewish. Our focus is on representing the people. The way I see it, people's personal beliefs have been shattered. What's happening has had a huge impact on people's characters.
The government has not politicised Islam. Islam has been politicised from the start. Every religion has been deeply embroiled in politics, but in Iran the clerics are in charge of the nation's wealth. They want to take social power, even within Islam from the Sunnis, who are persecuted and prohibited from practising their faith. People don't feel that they can express themselves outside of this enforced religion. We are fighting for freedom of expression. One opinion is that no-one should practise any other belief. We would take the same approach in response to such dogma were it any another religion. Nonetheless, as a secular organisation we have issues with the Islamic aspect in that it affects women in a fundamental way. The future of religion in the age of technology is directly connected to hearing the true voice of mankind. We can cause an eruption, but this doesn't answer what religions have done to people, turning them into slaves; contravening the very tenets they uphold.
Despite all that I've said, I think our readership is aware of our fight against dictatorship. This has not been a religious attack against non-religious people, but a direct assault by the government on its people. Our concern is political freedom — of expression and of assembly, all the things recognised as personal rights in the West. We want an Iranian version of this.
We will continue our work but with no budget we are limited. Our strength is the capability of our team. We need support from partnerships and the financial support of larger media to cover our weaknesses. Things are different now. It's not difficult to get the site back up, but we need to investigate how the government are operating and take more precautions for our personal security. We recognise that they're not joking."
Iranokleptocrats are inspired by Graecokleptocrats. Merciless Marilizard terrorizes Graecoblogosphere. Accusing dissident bloggers of treason, Graecokleptocrats have manufactured a blood libel in cyberspace, which in turn may incite hatred and violence. The freakish government of Graecokleptocracy, October-18 mafia, is the only government on Earth which robs the computers of its citizens! Infamous CCU is the brutal arm of the government of Graecokleptocracy which terrorizes the cyberspace, robbing computers at gunpoint, perjuring, jailing dissident bloggers, and gagging the truth. CCU of Graecokleptocracy is the most disgusting gang in Fourth Reich(EU).
Emulating the disgusting paradigm of infamous Graecokleptocrats, who persecute and jail dissident bloggers, the government of Iran terrorizes dissident bloggers. Blogging in Iran and Greece, the most corrupt country of Fourth Reich(EU), is considered an extreme-risk avocation. Freakish kleptocrats accuse dissident bloggers of treason, confiscate their computers at gunpoint, and lock them is jail! Freak galore! These prisoners of conscience follow the long tradition of Socrates, who was killed by the Athenian democracy.
Global Tax Revolt points out the persecution of dissident bloggers is unquestionably a serious attack on freedom of speech, and contrary to Article 2 of Lisbon Treaty, Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The disgusting government of Graecokleptocracy cannot bully the blogosphere without repercussions and blowbacks. The international civil society got a shock and awe from the brutality of the infamous government of Graecokleptocracy on October 18, 2010.
The infamous government of Graecokleptocracy, October-18 mafia, uses the cybercops as a political tool. On October 18, 2010, Merciless Marilizard went completely insane, and she did not think twice about abusing her position in destroying a dissident blogger, an innocent victim of a wild political witch hunt. Under wild orders, a freakish gang of brutal cybercops broke into the home and into the college office of a distinguished professor and robbed at gunpoint his computers, software, files, documents, personal data, personal codes, and personal secrets.
The wild Graecocybercops locked the 65-year old professor in jail, they humiliated him with handcuffs, fingerprints, mugshots, and lies, leaked false information to the media parrots, and initiated sham court proceedings for treason! There was no mattress, no pillow, and no toilet facility in his jail cell. At night, the world renown had to urinate in a bottle! There was neither toilet paper nor soap. He lost his job, and his life is stolen forever by a deranged Greek minister. That's why the Global Tax Revolt declared October 18 as the International Day Against Cybercop Brutality. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globaltaxrevolt
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