Blocking of communications in Iran: “Their technique is really very aggressive”

For several days, the Iranian authorities have massively blocked all means of communication.

AFP - ATTA KENARE

Text by: RFI Follow

3 mins

For the twelfth night in a row, Iranians took to the streets on Tuesday in several cities across the country to protest the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the vice squad.

But due to communications cuts, information from Iran is patchy.

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Internet, social networks, mobile data... In response to the protest movement launched after

the death of Mahsa Amini

, the Iranian authorities have been cutting off the means of communication for a large part of the day for several days.

The method is not new.

In general, in the event of demonstrations, the authorities cut mobile data in the district where they take place,

reports to RFI Amir Rashidi, director of Internet security for the Miaan group. 

If the movement extends, so does the cut.

And if they can't control the movement, the mobile data is totally cut off.

 »

But this time, notes Amir Rashidi, the scale of these cuts has reached an unprecedented level.

“ 

Their technique is really very aggressive: search engines, e-mails, all the tools allowing people to chat with each other are blocked.

 Another novelty: the cut of online games, whose Iranians use the

chat

option to exchange.

“ 

These total cuts take place almost every day, generally between 4 p.m. and midnight.

The rest of the time, there are small cuts, disturbances.

The fixed lines work, but it's very, very slow

 ,” says Amir Rashidi.

Communicating with relatives living abroad has become particularly complicated for Iranians.

Some achieve this by using VPNs, virtual private networks that normally allow restrictions to be bypassed.

But for how long ?

Nothing is certain in Iran

,” remarks Assal, who has lived in France for 40 years.

Telegram also works from time to time.

Last night I got two messages.

But when I try to call, it doesn't

work,” she says.

Continuation of demonstrations

According to opposition media based outside Iran, these restrictions did not prevent demonstrations from resuming this Tuesday evening in various cities for the twelfth consecutive night.

But activists said disruptions to internet connections were making it increasingly difficult for the images to be transmitted.

In a video shared online by the Manoto TV channel, a woman is shown without a headscarf and waving her arms in the air in Tehran's Narmak neighborhood.

In Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan province, where Mahsa Amini was from, women are seen removing their headscarves, while in Shiraz, a man burns a banner with a picture of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to London-based Iran International TV.

To read also: Iran: Hadis Najafi, 20, shot dead during a demonstration, another symbol of repression

A final report given on Tuesday by the Iranian news agency Fars reports " 

about 60 people killed

 " since September 16.

The police reported 10 deaths in their ranks, without it being known whether they were among the 60 dead.

The NGO Iran Human Rights, based in Oslo, reported on Monday

at least 76 dead

 "

 including " 

six women and four children

 ", claiming to have obtained "

 videos and death certificates confirming shootings at live ammunition on demonstrators

 ”.

More than 1,200 protesters have also been arrested since the start of the movement, police said.

NGOs report that activists, lawyers and journalists have also been arrested.

On Tuesday, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was arrested in Tehran for “ 

inciting rioters to demonstrate

 ”.

(

And with

AFP)

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