Minister of Information: We will summon individuals linked to foreign Telegram channels

The Iranian Minister of Information announced that the ministry will summon individuals connected to foreign Telegram channels, but stated that its approach to domestic Telegram channels is not 'police-like'. According to ISNA news agency, Mahmoud Alavi reported on Wednesday, August 9, during a meeting with several members of parliament, that warnings have been issued to individuals associated with the Telegram channel Amadnews, and 'actions have been initiated to create psychological warfare against this channel'. He stated that 'thousands of obscene channels' have been shut down and the administrators of channels deemed 'anti-religion' have either 'repented or have been handed over to the judiciary if organized'. Alavi also mentioned that a report has been submitted to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who expressed 'kindness and affection'. Previously, several individuals have been arrested on charges of connections with foreign Telegram channels and websites. Meanwhile, some conservative websites have accused individuals close to President Hassan Rouhani's government of collaborating with foreign Telegram channels and websites. In 2014, the Saham News website published a report on the actions of the IRGC Intelligence Organization to 'cripple' Rouhani's government, stating that Rouhani had complained about these actions in a meeting with the Supreme Leader. Subsequently, some websites reported that the report presented by Rouhani was prepared by the Ministry of Information. Meanwhile, 15 members of parliament have requested an explanation from the Ministry of Information regarding 'how a report about one of the country's security institutions was published in foreign media'. In recent months, videos have also been published by Fars News Agency against Rouhollah Zam and the Amadnews Telegram channel. Some conservative-affiliated media claim that the Amadnews website is run by Rouhollah Zam, the son of Mohammad Ali Zam, the deputy of the Free Zones Organization and a figure close to the children of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rouhollah Zam has stated that he has no role in managing this channel. In another part of his remarks on Wednesday, Alavi stated that the ministry does not take a 'police-like' approach to Telegram channels within the country and does not consider such treatment towards civil activists, separate from anti-revolutionary elements, appropriate for a developed society. Alavi emphasized that the Ministry of Information can summon the administrators of Telegram channels within the country and hand them over to the judiciary but does not interfere in the judiciary's work. He added: 'A Telegram channel made two major accusations against the President and was handed over to the judiciary after arrest, but after six days was released and continues its work with even more audacity.' Previously, officials from Rouhani's government had criticized the content published in Telegram channels close to conservatives. Hamid Talebi, the administrator of the Telegram channel 'Ghaychi', was arrested after publishing photos of Minou Khalighi, an electoral candidate, showing her 'without a hijab' at a meeting in China, and was released after a few days. On July 8, Fars News Agency reported that Hamid Talebi and Ali Akbari, two reporters from Fars News Agency, were summoned and interrogated by the Ministry of Information for 'organizing' a group chant against the President of Iran on Quds Day. In contrast, several managers of Telegram channels identified by some media as reformist or government supporters were arrested by the IRGC Intelligence Organization last year and were released after about six months recently. These arrests led 30 members of parliament to question the Minister of Information about the status of the detainees, the reasons for their arrest, the handling of their charges, the reasons for their continued detention, and their uncertainty. In this context, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on April 10, criticized the arrest of managers of several Telegram channels and threatened to publish the Ministry of Information's report on this matter. The Minister of Information also stated that the government opposes the arrest of Telegram channel managers. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, responded to these remarks, stating that there are 'issues regarding the Minister of Information' in this case and he cannot prepare a report on this case. In response, the Minister of Information stated: 'I do not recognize any crime for the administrators that I would be an accomplice to; it seems they are my accomplices. Defending the government is not a minor crime.' Following this, Mahmoud Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, announced that one of the detainees was the administrator of the Minister of Information's Telegram channel. International organizations defending freedom of expression, including Reporters Without Borders, have repeatedly named Iran as one of the enemies of the internet.