Iranian authorities have severely restricted access to the Internet and mobile networks in an attempt to limit the ability to gather protesters and be able to suppress them behind closed doors, according to NGOs.

Human rights defenders are particularly concerned about the blocking of Instagram, an extremely popular social network in Iran, which could allow repression "out of sight", according to Amnesty International.

The power blocked access to Instagram and WhatsApp after six days of protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman arrested by the morality police, in which at least 17 people died, according to a report from a state media on Thursday.

But the toll would in reality be much heavier: the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Oslo, claims that 50 people have been killed since the start of the movement.

“A lot of disturbances”

NetBlocks, a London-based site that monitors internet blockages around the world, described the restrictions as "the toughest" in Iran since the deadly crackdown on protests in November 2019, when the internet was almost completely shut down.

The organization says mobile networks have been temporarily suspended, there are severe access restrictions in some areas, and Instagram and WhatsApp have been blocked.

She announced on Friday that "mobile internet has been disrupted for a third time", with a "nationwide" loss of connectivity.

"It's different from what we saw in November 2019, it's not as massive, but more repeated," said Mahsa Alimardani, Iran researcher for the rights organization Article 19.

“But there are clearly a lot of disruptions and outages,” she adds, pointing out that some people are successfully circumventing restrictions by using VPNs.

She believes that the authorities could fear the negative effects on the country's economy in the event of a complete shutdown and that they can also rely on the "national information network", a kind of national internet.

The restrictions "make it difficult" to publish videos of the protests, but "they continue to circulate", according to her.

“Possibility of a bloodbath”

Among these videos published on the networks are those of women burning their veils, demonstrators tearing down effigies of the leaders of the Islamic Republic, but also of the police firing on the crowd.

During the November 2019 protests, caused by the increase in fuel prices, the internet shutdown allowed the authorities to repress practically behind closed doors.

Amnesty International says 321 people were killed then, stressing that this number only covers proven cases and that the real death toll could be much higher.

The NGO says it is "very concerned about the disruptions to Internet and mobile network access caused by the authorities", and calls on the international community to quickly put pressure on Tehran to "stop killing and injuring even more demonstrators at the 'out of sight'.

Hadi Ghaemi, the director of CHRI, believes that “the possibility of a bloodbath is now real”.

"The government has blocked the internet because it wants to prevent people from sharing evidence of state atrocities with the outside world," he said.

Geographic targeting

Instagram boss Adam Mosseri shared his concern, while WhatsApp stressed that she was not the cause of the disruption, adding that the group would "do everything in (its) ability to maintain the service ".

The Signal messaging service has confirmed that it is still blocked in Iran and encouraged its users outside the country to use workarounds through intermediary servers to allow Iranians to connect.

After the banning of several platforms in recent years, such as Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Youtube or TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp have become the most widely used social networks in Iran.

The United States announced on Friday a loosening of the sanctions regime it imposes on Iran, in order to allow technology companies to provide platforms and services allowing Iranians to access the Internet.

Observers have also noted a geographical targeting of the blockages, in particular in Kurdistan (north-west), region of origin of Mahsa Amini, where some of the most violent demonstrations took place.

World

Iran: Crackdown kills at least 36 protesters, NGO says

World

Iran: President promises investigation after Mahsa Amini's death

  • Tehran

  • Iran

  • instagram

  • Facebook

  • World