Iran Blocks Facebook As Election Nears

Iranian press suggests a reaction against support for reform candidate
By Amelia Atlas,  Newser Staff
Posted May 24, 2009 5:07 AM CDT
Iran Blocks Facebook As Election Nears
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad registers as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election in Tehran.   (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Iran has blocked access to Facebook just in time for June elections, reports the BBC. The move is viewed as an effort to hurt presidential reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose Facebook page lists 5000 supporters and who is considered a possible threat to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Facebook blasted the action at a time when "voters are turning to the Internet as a source of information about candidates and their positions."
(More Iran stories.)

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