1. Which country did you choose for this assignment?

Iran

2. Using APA 7th Edition formatting, list the articles and/or webpages you found that describe the
state of freedom of expression in the country you chose.

3. Describe this country’s policies around freedom of expression. You can include the specific
language used in their law, constitution, etc. On top of this, the description should include a
brief historical context for the policies and important cases that led to the policies as they
currently stand.

Iran’s policies around freedom of expression in Iran are not protected. The Constitution of the Islamic
Republic of Iran has adopted restrictions since 1979 (following the Islamic revolution) to limit on the
public’s freedom of expression and of the press.

Article 168 of their constitution mentions with how press offenses are dealt with. Article 168 states that
“political and press offenses will be tried openly and in the presence of a jury in courts of justice,”
meaning that the public and journalists cannot legally criticize or talk against the ruling government, and
if they do that, then they will be prosecuted in court of the justice system. The press courts impose
criminal penalties to the individuals or groups who commit press offenses.

In 1985, the Iranian parliament passed a press law which shows the legal procedures for dealing with
offenses by the press, defined as included of periodicals and procedures as followed by the press court.
The purpose of the press as outlined by Article 2 of the law states that the purpose of the press is
defines as to: (1) to enlighten public opinion and raise public knowledge and understanding, (b) to
advance the objectives set forth in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, (c) To strive to
eliminate false and divisive social boundaries and to avoid setting different social groups and classes
against each other by classifying them on the basis of ethnicity, language, mores, and local customs, (d)
to fight against the manifestation of colonial culture (wasting resources, love of luxury, rejection of
religion, and anti-western policies

4. Based on the articles you found and your own opinions, what are the strengths of this country’s
freedom of expression policies? I don’t see any advantages of this country’s freedom of
expression to the people of Iran. The freedom of expression in Iran are not fully protected. The
certain restrictions of freedom of expression in Iran have led to infringements of people’s rights.
This results in oppression and corruption, and it undermines the fundamental right of
expression and of questioning authority.

5. The restrictions in freedom of expression in Iran severely limit people’s ability to speak against
government policies, as well as access to true information. In addition, medias and journalists
can’t use certain word and terminology to promote any sort of protest, demonstration, or
movement. This will result in bad confrontation and to prevent the country from improving
because of continued failed policies.
6. There is very little to no similarity between the country’s freedom of expression in Iran and the
United States other than the fact that both countries have an apparently democratic
government system. However, there are many differences between the United States and Iran
regarding freedom of expression. One major difference is that in the United States, people are
allowed to say and protest against the government, whereas in Iran people are not allowed to
fully express their views against the government and officials, and or protest since that would
lead to prosecution and harsh penalties. Another difference is that the United States people
have free access to the global internet whereas in Iran, internet access is also restricted.