Editor's Pick

go-girls-s5-ep4

Go Girls

Series 5, Episode 4 Go Girls 21 May 13 00:43:27

Top Shows

Contact ONE News

Iran's supreme leader 'likes' Facebook

Published: 10:18AM Tuesday December 18, 2012 Source: Reuters

  • Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 1234 (Source: BBC)
    Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 1234 - Source: BBC

Facebook - banned in Iran due to its use by activists to rally government opponents in 2009 - has an unlikely new member: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Launched a few days ago, the Facebook page, Khamenei.ir , displays photographs of the cleric, 73, alongside speeches and pronouncements by the man who wields ultimate power in the Islamic Republic.

While there are several other Facebook pages already devoted to Khamenei, the new one - whose number of 'likes' quadrupled on Monday to more than 1000 - appeared to be officially authorised, rather than merely the work of admirers.

The page has been publicised by a Twitter account of the same name that Iran experts believe is run by Khamenei's office.

Both US-based social media sites are blocked in Iran by a wide-reaching government censor, but they are still commonly used by millions of Iranians who use special software to get around the ban.

In 2009, social media was a vital tool for those Iranians who believed the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was rigged.

Facebook was used to help organise street protests of a scale not seen since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The protests, which the government said were fuelled by Iran's foreign enemies, were eventually stamped out by the security forces and their political figureheads remain under house arrest.

Khamenei's Facebook page has so far shared a picture of a young Khamenei alongside the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in the early 1960s.

Experts said the social media accounts showed that Iran, despite restricting access to such sites inside the country, was keen to use them to spread its world view to a global audience.

"Social media gives the regime leadership another medium of communication, one that can share their message with a younger and far more international demographic," said Afshon Ostovar, a Middle East analyst at CNA, a US-based research organisation.

Iran is locked in a decade-long dispute with the West over its nuclear programme, which the US and its allies suspect is aimed at developing a bomb, something Iran has repeatedly denied. Iran, the West and regional states are also often opposed on issues such as the violence raging in Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Iranian authorities have said they are trying to build a national intranet, something sceptics say is a way to further control Iranians' access to the global web. Tehran tried to block Google Inc's email service this year but soon reopened access.



Technology News

Most Popular

  1. Woman quits work after 'good looks caused massive problems'
  2. Hail, thunderstorms and tornadoes predicted
  3. Police acted unlawfully during Urewera Raids, report finds video
  4. Microsoft unveils new Xbox One game console
  5. Vatican attempts to douse Pope exorcism allegations video

rssLatest News

Advertising

How do you want your news?

  • Mobile Devices

    ONE News is available on iPhone, iPad, and as a mobile site.

  • News Feeds

    See when TVNZ have added new content. You can get the latest headlines anywhere.

  • Podcasts

    Enjoy TVNZ on the move - a wide range of programmes and highlights are available.