C. The Special Rapporteur further urges the Government to amend or rescind law, policies, and parliamentary measure that contravene freedom of expression and that restrict access to information, including online information. The right to freedom of expression, recognized under Article 24 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran is guaranteed only as long as it is not “deemed harmful to the principles of Islam or the rights of the public.” Article 40 further allows for restrictions of rights, including peaceful assembly, if the exercise is deemed “injurious to others” or “detrimental to public interests.” Similar broad and vaguely defined provisions restrict the right to freedom of expression online, notably the crimes of “dissemination of lies” or the offence to “public morality and chastity.”22 The revised version of the Islamic Penal Code,23 adopted in 2013, maintains numerous provisions which criminalize the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, in contravention of international human rights law and standards. To name a few, under the Penal Code, the establishment or leadership of a group that “aims to perturb the security of the country” is criminalized,24 as well as a variety of acts considered as propaganda25 or conspiracy against the state (which has been interpreted to include peaceful protests).26 Encouragement to “violate public morals”27 as well as satire are also penalized.28 Similar vaguely worded provisions punish acts such as swearing at29 or insulting30 “the Great Prophet of Islam” as well as “sowing corruption on earth”31 with the death penalty. Restrictions on the right to freedom of expression extend to the right to information and to the press and media, as mentioned above. The 1986 Press Law provides content-based restrictions on traditional and online media which significantly impact the information made available to the public.32 In 2009, the Islamic Republic of Iran adopted the Publication and Free Access to Information Act,33 which partially recognizes the right to access information as guaranteed under 22 “Islamic Republic of Iran: Computer Crimes Law,” ARTICLE19, 2012. https://bit.ly/1RecP6R The Islamic Penal Code available at: http://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/print_version/845048 24 Article 498 Islamic Penal Code 2013, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-book-five/ 25 Article 500 Islamic Penal Code 2013, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-book-five/ 26 Article 610 Islamic Penal Code 2013, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-book-five/ 27 Article 639 Islamic Penal Code 2013, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-book-five/ 28 Article 700 Islamic Penal Code 2013, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-book-five/ 29 Article 262 Islamic Penal Code 2013, https://iranhrdc.org/english-translation-of-books-i-ii-of-the-new-islamic-penal-code/ 30 Article 513 Islamic Penal Code 2013, https://iranhrdc.org/islamic-penal-code-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-book-five/ 31 Article 286 Islamic Penal Code 2013 32 See more: Article 19, https://www.article19.org/data/files/medialibrary/2921/12-01-30-FINAL-iran-WEB%5B4%5D.pdf 33 Iran: Review of the Publication and Free Access to Information Act 2009”, ARTICLE 19, September 2017, available at: https://www.article19.org/resources/iran-review-of-the-publication-and-free-access-to-information-act-2009-2/ 23 4