Amoli Larijani Describes Blocking Telegram as Upholding the Rights of the People of Iran

The head of Iran's judiciary defended a judicial investigator's decision to block the messaging app Telegram, claiming that this action is for 'upholding the rights of the people' rather than 'violating rights.' The investigator of the second branch of the Tehran Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office issued an order on May 10 for the blocking of Telegram and requested that 'the blocking should be implemented in a way that the content of the network is not accessible in the country through any software (including VPNs and similar tools).' This action faced widespread criticism, with seven lawyers stating that the investigator lacked the authority to make such a decision and filing a complaint against him with the special prosecutor's office for government employees. Meanwhile, Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the head of the judiciary, defended the investigator's action on May 17, stating, 'The argument that the judiciary should not intervene in the Telegram issue is unfounded.' He described the opposition to the blocking order as an 'insult' to the judiciary and claimed that 'thousands of complaints had been made against Telegram, and addressing this issue is one of our inherent duties.' Amoli Larijani characterized Telegram as 'a secure platform for criminals,' alleging that individuals 'act without fear of being identified, committing crimes ranging from financial fraud to crimes against personal dignity and terrorist acts.' He added, 'Does reason and logic accept that someone, while providing certain services in a physical and real space, makes that place a secure environment for criminals? The virtual space has exactly the same situation.' This statement comes at a time when Telegram is the most popular messaging app in Iran, with over 40 million users, and according to Iranian officials, tens of thousands of people earn their livelihood through it. The government of Hassan Rouhani has opposed the blocking of Telegram through a statement, an Instagram message, and comments from the Iranian president, implicitly attributing such a decision to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Rouhani wrote in an Instagram message, 'If a decision has been made at the highest level of the system to limit or block people's communications, the true owners of this country, the people, should be informed.' Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, also referred to this decision as a 'government decree' and called for the reasons behind it to be announced. The opposition from hardline officials and security agencies in Iran towards Telegram has intensified since the protests in December of last year, with some reports indicating the Supreme Leader's agreement with the blocking of this messaging app. In Esfand 96, some Telegram channels reported that in one of the meetings of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace attended by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had 'strongly' criticized the lifting of the Telegram ban. In the early days of the nationwide protests in December of last year, Telegram and Instagram were blocked in Iran, and security forces arrested several individuals involved in social networks. However, after the unrest subsided, both networks were unblocked.