Iran bans contact with 60 national, international organizations

Jan 5, 2010, 13:10 GMT

Tehran - Iran's intelligence ministry has banned contact by Iranians with 60 national and international organizations, including several news groups, state television reported Tuesday.

The intelligence ministry list includes the Farsi programmes of BBC and VOA, and all news networks belonging to US-based monarchists.

Also in the list is the news website Jaras which belongs to the Green Movement led by Iran's leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi and is currently the one of the main news sources of the opposition.

The ministry alleged that these organizations had been involved in a 'soft war' with the ultimate goal of toppling the Islamic establishment.

The ministry also called on the people to avoid irregular contacts with foreign embassies or related centres.

Also in the list are the US-based Human Rights Watch and George Soros's Open Society Institute as well the exiled opposition group People's Mujaheddin.

Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said Monday that several foreigners were among the those arrested in last month's clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters and their cameras and other items had been had been confiscated.

Neither the minister nor the foreign ministry disclosed their nationalities and not said how they entered the country.

At least 500 protesters were arrested during demonstrations on the Islamic mourning days of Tassua and Ashura last month. The opposition claims the number to be double that figure - and that at least eight demonstrators were killed.

Background of the street protests are alleged vote rigging in the June 12 presidential polls, which saw the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Officials so far only confirmed the arrest of one foreign citizen, 27-year-old Syrian national Reza al-Bacha, who is working for Dubai Media Incorporated and was arrested while trying to cover the protests.

The foreign press is banned from directly covering the protest rallies. Offenders either lose their accreditation or in case of foreign nationals, get deported.