[liberationtech] Iran announces arrest of "election disrupters"

[Collin Anderson]

Something to watch for from Payvand. As Reformists push back against the
March Parliamentary election, there will be a trend of articles like these.
One wonders what American NGO was supporting the arrested activists and
'advanced equipment' entails, BGAN satellite modems?

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Iran announces arrest of "election disrupters"
http://www.payvand.com/news/12/jan/1087.html

Source: Radio Zamaneh

Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi has announced the arrest of
several "election disrupters" in Tehran. ISNA reports that on Sunday night,
Moslehi said: "The detainees were in contact with people abroad through
cyberspace and were arrested after the investigation of their activities
was completed."

Iranian Election - by Mana Neyestani

Moslehi said the detainees were "*trying to carry out U.S. plots against
the ninth parliamentary election process through virtual and social networks
*" but he added, however, that they "were not a significant group capable
of doing anything of consequence."

Meanwhile, the Reporters Club, an offshoot of the Iranian state radio and
television network, announced that four people have been arrested and
charged with "building networks and establishing the mechanisms for acting
against national security."

The report indicated that "*the detainees had received from foreigners
advanced equipment* to carry out secret communications in order to organize
special cells to issue internet rallies and create disturbances in the
country."

The Reporters Club added that the detainees are charged with having links
to several embassies and "anti-Revolutionary elements based in autonomous
regions in the neighbouring countries."

The names of the detainees have not been announced so far, but Iranian
media have reported the arrest of Saeed Madani, a sociology scholar, and
two journalists, Ehsan Hoshmandi and Fatemeh Kheradmand, in the past two
days.

Iranian parliamentary elections are slated for March, and, given the mass
demonstrations that followed the controversial 2009 elections, the
government is wary of of another possible outbreak of protests.


-- 
*Collin David Anderson*
averysmallbird.com | @cda | Washington, D.C.
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