Category: World Service
Date: 24.01.2006
Printable version
Access to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Persian.com - the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's international news website and the biggest internet site in the Persian language - is being blocked within Iran at the request of the authorities, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ announced today.
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Initial assessments of the level of traffic to the site within Iran indicate that they have dropped substantially on normal traffic levels over the last three days since reports of the country-wide blocking began.
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The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's international online news services in the English language remain unaffected.
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service radio broadcasts in both Persian and English are being received by audiences in Iran as normal.
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Director Nigel Chapman said: "Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Persian.com is a major source of news for Iranians, and has the biggest impact of any online site or newspaper in Persian.
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"We are very concerned at this action and regret that it deprives a great number of ordinary Iranians of a trusted source of impartial and editorially independent news and information.
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"We shall be making representations to the Iranian authorities with a view to reinstating access to our service for all Iranians.
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"The appetite among Iranians to know more about what's going on - both in Iran and abroad - has never been greater," he says.
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"Online is an important part of life in modern Iran; there is a hugely active and engaged online community.
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"The country is a world leader in terms of the proportion of the population engaged in 'blogging'.
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"Many people in Iran have contacted us to tell us they believe the quality of information and debate in the country will be much poorer following this action."
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Persian.com receives around 30 million page impressions per month.
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It is the most popular of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's non-English language news websites.
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It is estimated that Iran has seven million internet users and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Persian.com attracts around one third of all users in the country.
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The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ has been broadcasting radio programmes in the Persian language to Iran for more than 65 years. Its Persian internet site started in 2001.
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Press Office
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