AP News, September 25th, 2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a host of claims about Iran's domestic and foreign policy in his appearances in New York Monday. The Associated Press compares his claims to what is independently known about the situation there:
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About the Media
AHMADINEJAD: "On a daily basis, we have tens _ many, many newspapers or dozens of newspapers in our country, and the number of those newspapers that are against the government in place right now are perhaps 10 times larger than the newspapers that are pro- government."
REALITY CHECK: There are more newspapers, usually smaller in circulation, that are opposed to Ahmadinejad than those that are in favor of his administration. However, the government has closed liberal papers and Washington-based Freedom House said "the Iranian government has forcibly closed or banned more than 100 publications since 2000." Iran has also limited the access of the foreign press.
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About the Internet
AHMADINEJAD: "In our country there are tens of millions of people who are connected to the Internet. They have access to it. So if you're talking about immoral _ like access perhaps to immoral sites, well, you would agree with me that those sites are harmful for society. Nobody can really allow access to those. But our people are the freest people in the world, the most aware people in the world, the most enlightened, so to say."
REALITY CHECK: Iranians generally have access to mainstream Web sites, including U.S. media and government sites. But according to Reporters Without Borders, Iran today filters 10 million "immoral" sites. In addition to pornographic sites, some dealing with religion and politics are targeted and since the summer of 2006, the censors have concentrated on online publications dealing with womens' rights, the group says.
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About Women
AHMADINEJAD: "The freest women in the world are the women in Iran."
REALITY CHECK: Women enjoy more rights in Iran than in some other Middle Eastern countries, but far fewer than those enjoyed in the West. Women can drive, vote, own property and run for any public office except the presidency. However, they have to by law cover their hair, avoid body-hugging clothing on pain of arrest and fine by a court. The court testimony of two women is equal to that of one man and women can't get a passport for foreign travel without the permission of their father. A woman cannot divorce easily, while a man can divorce his wife whenever he wants.
Girls are considered adults at the age of 9 while boys become adults at 15. If a man and a woman are injured in an accident, the man gets double the punitive damages.
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About Homosexuals
AHMADINEJAD: "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country. We don't have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have it."
REALITY CHECK: Mahmoud Asgari, 16, and Ayaz Marhoni, 18, were hanged publicly in 1995 in the city of Mashhad on charges of raping younger boys. They said before their executions that they were not aware that homosexual acts were punishable by death. In 2003, a 16-year-old girl said to be suffering from a psychological disorder was executed in Neka, a town in northern Iran, on charges of having an illegal sexual relationship.
