Watch what you write

Blogging could become a matter of life or death for Iran’s web fans. The country’s parliament is considering a bill that could see the death penalty used for those deemed to be promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy on the internet. MPs yesterday voted to discuss as a priority the draft bill, which seeks to “toughen punishment for harming mental security in society,” the ISNA news agency said.

The text lists a wide range of crimes such as rape and armed robbery for which the death penalty is already applicable. The crime of apostasy (the act of leaving a religion, in this case Islam) is also already punishable by death. However, the draft bill also includes “establishing weblogs and sites promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy”, which is a new addition to crimes punishable by death. Those convicted of these crimes “should be punished as ‘mohareb’ (enemy of God) and ‘corrupt on the earth’,” the text says.

Under Iranian law the standard punishments for these two crimes are “hanging, amputation of the right hand and then the left foot as well as exile.”

The bill - which is yet to be debated by lawmakers - also stipulates that the punishment handed out in these cases “cannot be commuted, suspended or changed”.

The internet is widely used in Iran despite restrictions on access and the blocking of thousands of web sites with a sexual content or those deemed as insulting religious sanctities and promoting political dissent. Blogging is also very popular among cyber-savvy young Iranians, some openly discussing their private lives or criticising the strict political system, in particular recent moral clampdowns which have seen police round up those considered to be dressing indecently, or even those with ‘western’ hairstyles.

Human rights groups have accused Iran of making excessive use of the death penalty but Tehran insists it is an effective deterrent that is carried out only after an exhaustive judicial process. The number of executions soared last year to 317 amid a campaign which the authorities said was aimed at improving security in society, and was sharply up on 2006 figures when Amnesty International recorded 177 executions.

All legislation in Iran has to be rubber-stamped by a conservative clerical watchdog before it is written into law. The Guardians Council vets bills to see if they are in line with the constitution and Islamic law.