In the run-up to the June 14 presidential election in Iran, a critical approach from newspapers and websites is highly absent, even compared with previous election cycles.
The outcome of Iran’s presidential election in 2009 prompted public demonstrations in the capital, Tehran, and several major cities; the protests were of a size that were unprecedented since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In the aftermath of the election protests, security forces reacted excessively. Many people were detained, several were killed on the streets and in prison and the Green Movement leaders were put under house arrest. Several reformist journalists and political activists received long-term prison sentences.