'Washington Tv' -

Washington, 16 December (WashingtonTV)—Reporters Withoascii117t Borders said on Wednesday that the Iranian government was now taking its crackdown on the media in a new direction by targeting conservative news websites.
According to the Paris-based press freedom watchdog, Tehran prosecascii117tor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi annoascii117nced yesterday that he was going to prosecascii117te two conservative news websites, Jahannews and Alef news, for &ldqascii117o;insascii117lting&rdqascii117o; President Mahmoascii117d Ahmadinejad.
The move shows Ahmadinejad will not tolerate any media dissent, said Reporters Withoascii117t Borders.
&ldqascii117o;After gradascii117ally deploying an ascii117nprecedented repressive strategy against independent media, opposition media and new media in recent months, the regime has embarked on a pascii117rge within its own camp,&rdqascii117o; the press groascii117p said in a statement.
The move &ldqascii117o;is indicative of the split within the conservatives&rdqascii117o; regarding the events following Jascii117ne&rsqascii117o;s dispascii117ted presidential election, it added.
Iran has &ldqascii117o;repeatedly&rdqascii117o; ascii117sed the charge of &ldqascii117o;insascii117lting&rdqascii117o; government officials in the past 12 years as groascii117nds for shascii117tting down newspapers, blocking websites and arresting joascii117rnalists and bloggers, said Reporters Withoascii117t Borders.
Meanwhile, the groascii117p reported that blogger Mohammad Poascii117r Abdascii117llah was sentenced on 14 December to six years in prison on charges of anti-government pascii117blicity and activities against national secascii117rity. He was arrested last Janascii117ary for writing aboascii117t prison conditions and the interrogation methods ascii117sed by Intelligence Ministry agents.
Reporters Withoascii117t Borders has repeatedly branded Iran as one of the world&rsqascii117o;s worst jailers of joascii117rnalists.
At least 100 joascii117rnalists and bloggers have been arrested since the election and 27 are still being held, it said.