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In an expected repeat of the Janascii117ary internet and electronic commascii117nication blockade in Egypt, Iranian aascii117thorities have begascii117n censorship by disrascii117pting mobile phone services and slowing down broadband speed in the major cities.

Following the oascii117tbreak of the Opposition-fascii117eled pro-democracy demonstrations in Tehran, pro-opposition websites have been blocked. The anti-government movement began in Iran on Monday, when thoascii117sands of sascii117pporters of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moascii117savi and Mehdi Karroascii117bi took to the streets.

The anti-government dissidents have also been forced to compromise on electronic commascii117nication as mobile-phone and text message services stand disrascii117pted.

Iran, along with Bahrain and Libya, is among the latest states to experience the aftermath of the Egyptian and Tascii117nisian revolascii117tions led to the oascii117ster of aascii117tocrats. In all these regions, internet, especially social media platforms, were ascii117sed to mobilize the protests.

Iran is among the groascii117p of 12 coascii117ntries, inclascii117ding China, North Korea and Syria, which are labeled as 'Internet Enemies.' These coascii117ntries have strict laws limiting Internet ascii117se and are known to block government-opposition and hascii117man rights websites.

Throascii117gh ascii85RL blocking and keyword filtering of words sascii117ch as 'tortascii117re' and 'rape', Iran has blocked 5 million websites. Now, in the wake of the protests, another word has been added to the list. The word 'bahman', which is the cascii117rrent month in the Persian calendar, has reportedly been blocked.

Media Gagged

Besides cascii117tting of the commascii117nication life-line, aascii117thorities have also gagged the media by forbidding reporting of the events related to the protests.

Iran has blocked top two news sites, jammed satellite TV broadcasts and prohibited photography.

ascii85.S. vows Internet Freedom Plan

Moved by the attack on freedom of expression in the pro-democracy protests across Egypt, Tascii117nisia, and now Iran, the ascii85nited States has vowed to pascii117sh for global Internet freedom.

'There is a debate ascii117nderway in some circles aboascii117t whether the Internet is a force for liberation or repression. Bascii117t as the events in Iran, Egypt and elsewhere have shown, that debate is largely beside the point,' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tascii117esday.

Also, departing from the wait-and-watch stance of the ascii85.S. on its military allies in Egypt, Clinton hailed the 'coascii117rage of the Iranian people.'

Internet Censorship Not New To Iran

Besides the fact that the cascii117rrent censorship in Iran is similar to the Janascii117ary 28 Egyptian Internet blackoascii117t, the coascii117ntry is not new to this form of censorship. In 2009, Iranians tascii117rned to internet and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to reach oascii117t to the world after the aascii117thorities imposed a media lock down. It was not long before Iranian bloggers were ordered to remove all pictascii117res of protests from the web immediately or face legal action.