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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran10jun10,0,3578330.story?coll=la-home-center
Iran Tightens Screws on Internal Dissent
[Los Angeles Times] Borzou Daragahi - The government of Iranian President Ahmadinejad is in the midst of one of the most intensive crackdowns on domestic dissent in the last two decades, targeting banks and labor unions, students, and civic organizations. Iranian news outlets have been issued a three-page letter from the Supreme National Security Council listing forbidden topics. Barred subjects include the enforcement of Islamic restrictions on dress, the effect of UN sanctions on everyday life, international sanctions on Iranian banks, and travel bans on Iranian nuclear and military officials. Also on the do-not-publish list are stories about tensions between Iran's Shiites and Sunnis, ethnic clashes in the provinces, and strained relations between Iran and other Muslim countries worried about Tehran's regional ambitions. The bureau chief of one Western news organization in Tehran likened present-day Iran to the former Soviet Union. "There are many things that I would like to write about, but can't," the journalist said. "They would shut down our office and kick us out."