Iran's Minister of Communications: 'Tiny Movies' Website Has Not Been Filtered, It Has Been Shut Down

Following reports about the arrest of the manager and five staff members of the film streaming site 'Tiny Movies' in Iran, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Islamic Republic announced that the site has not been filtered but has been shut down due to the arrest of its operators and the shutdown of its servers. In recent days, several websites reported that Amir Ahmadi, the manager, and five of the site's staff, which is referred to as the 'most popular' site for downloading foreign films and series in Iran, were arrested on September 19. Meanwhile, Javad Azari Jahromi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said in an interview with the IRIB news agency on Friday, October 29, that the site has not been filtered and that his ministry and the working group for determining internet crime criteria had 'no role' in its closure. According to Mr. Azari Jahromi, the site was shut down after its operators were arrested by the judiciary and its servers were turned off. He stated that there is no further information available to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology regarding the case of the site's operators. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Tehran, reported on October 26 that six people had been arrested in connection with the production, dubbing, and sale of films he described as 'vulgar and obscene.' He stated that the operators of this site had broadcast 18,000 foreign films and series after dubbing them over the past three years. Meanwhile, the website 'Digiato,' active in the internet sector, reported based on 'rumors' that the reason for the closure of 'Tiny Movies' was a 'complaint from rival online film streaming networks and websites.' According to this website, the subscription fee for 'Tiny Movies' was 4,000 tomans per month, and between 300 to 400 people registered on this website each month. The report stated that 'the high speed of this website in translating and dubbing cinematic products was so high that even the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) published several films that had been dubbed by this website.' Meanwhile, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran stated that the implementation of laws protecting the rights of authors and artists in Iran regarding non-Iranian cultural and artistic products 'effectively contributes to creating a monopoly in the supply of these products.' According to this campaign, for example, if a company in Iran obtains a license to broadcast a foreign film or video game from government bodies such as the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance or the National Foundation of Computer Games for the first time, the exclusive reproduction and broadcasting rights of this film will belong to that company. The publication of this report comes at a time when there is no copyright for foreign films and written and digital works in Iranian law. Officials in Hassan Rouhani's government have emphasized support for internet businesses in recent years, especially after the Vienna nuclear agreement. However, in recent years, several activists in the field of internet business in Iran have been arrested. Among them is Arash Zad, the editor of the website 'Blogina,' who was arrested by the IRGC intelligence forces at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport on September 1, 2015, while trying to leave Iran. The website 'Blogina,' of which he was the editor and founder, is one of the most well-known in the field of information technology in Iran. He is also one of the founders of an association called 'Kafshdoozak' aimed at 'increasing women's participation in technology and internet business.'