Police Threatens to Act Against 'Instagram Stars' Following Broadcast of 'Confessions' on TV

Following the widespread airing of 'confessions' from several young women active on the social media platform Instagram, the head of the Cyber Police in Tehran threatened that law enforcement would 'severely deal' with those referred to as 'Instagram stars.' Colonel Touraj Kazemi, head of the Cyber Police in Tehran, stated on July 6 to the ILNA news agency: 'When the pages of Instagram stars are identified by the Cyber Police, the managers of these pages, regardless of which province they are in, will be notified, and the province will coordinate with the judicial authority and obtain judicial permission to take necessary actions.' Mr. Kazemi added, 'In cases that fall outside the jurisdiction of the Cyber Police, we will definitely investigate the reported cases in cooperation with the moral security police and deal with them severely.' This police official indicated that there are 'cases in this regard' and, without providing details, mentioned that some have been 'summoned,' some of these 'cases have reached a conclusion,' and 'necessary actions' have been taken. The police official did not elaborate on what he described as 'Instagram stars.' These comments came after the state television network aired a program called 'Off the Path,' showcasing the 'confessions' of several Instagram users. According to reports, citizens who were taken to the state television for 'confessions' had published their dance videos on Instagram. The broadcast of these 'confessions' has been met with critical and protest reactions on social media. In May, several popular pages of Iranian dance instructors on Instagram were blocked due to what was described as 'the publication of criminal content' by a judicial order. The head of the Cyber Police in Iran also threatened that law enforcement is in the process of 'identifying' the operators of pages they describe as 'obscene and vulgar.' In mid-July, the Attorney General announced that filtering Instagram was on the agenda due to what was described as 'exploitation of the pure feelings of the people' by 'celebrities.' Shortly after, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology denied this issue. However, Amin Sabati, a cyberspace expert, wrote in a note for Radio Farda that given Iran's history of filtering online services, recent news can be seen as a prelude to filtering Instagram. For years, organizations and entities monitoring freedom of expression have described Iran as one of the 'main enemies' of cyberspace and the internet. For example, Reporters Without Borders has labeled the Iranian government alongside a few others as an 'enemy of the internet.' Freedom House, in one of its latest reports, ranked the Islamic Republic at the bottom of the 'internet freedom' table. Freedom House stated last year that dozens of Iranian users, including channel managers on social media, have been arrested for their online activities, Iranian authorities have blocked access to tens of thousands of websites, especially news websites, severe self-censorship prevails, and many journalists, activists, and other citizens have been subjected to harassment or arrested. Reporters Without Borders has also repeatedly condemned the intensification of censorship on the internet and the repression of citizen journalists and social media users in Iran.