13:22, September 25, 2022
Iranian authorities have severely restricted access to the Internet and mobile networks in an attempt to limit the visibility of protests that have been going on in the country for several days, following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who died in hospital on September 16. , three days after she was arrested by the deputy team for wearing the hijab in a manner deemed incorrect. Human rights defenders are particularly concerned about the blocking of Instagram, a hugely popular social network in Iran, which could allow a crackdown “behind closed doors”according to Amnesty International.
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The demonstrations that have taken place for almost ten days in about thirty cities in the country have resulted in 35 deaths, according to an official report broadcast by Iranian state television. But several NGOs denounce a widely underestimated evaluation. The NGO Iran Human Rights estimated in a press release released Friday that at least fifty people have died.
Instagram and WhatsApp blocked
“Iranians are cut off from apps and online services”tweeted Instagram boss Adam Mosseri, adding that he hoped “that their right to be connected will be quickly restored”.
NetBlocks, a global internet blocking monitoring site, described the restrictions as “the hardest” in Iran since the deadly crackdown on protests in November 2019, when the internet was almost completely shut down. The control group said Instagram and WhatsApp have been restricted and on Friday said network access remains severely disrupted.
Owned by Meta, the two apps have millions of Iranian users and became popular after authorities in recent years blocked other platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. Telegram, YouTube and TikTok were also periodically closed.
75% of the population
“The Internet is one of the major tools available to the Iranian authorities when riots break out in the streets”Isik Mater, director of research on the NetBlocks site, told the BBC. Due to the lack of a private transmission network in Iran, the Internet is, he explains, “the only place” where the protesters can share their message and report on the repressions suffered.
The closure of the country’s largest mobile operator, Iran Mobile Communication, which the BBC says has more than 60 million customers, has thus deprived nearly 75% of the population of Internet access.
Read also – Iran: “The majority of the population denounces the severity of the rules on morality”
In response, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Friday the partial lifting of the trade embargo with Iranian companies in order to encourage US Internet operators to help restore the Iranian network. “We will help ensure that the Iranian people are not kept isolated and in the darkhe has declared. This is a concrete step to provide significant support to Iranians who demand respect for their fundamental rights.“
The announcement comes just days after SpaceX owner Elon Musk said he wanted to seek an exemption from the US administration from sanctions against Iran in order to offer internet connection services via its Starlink constellation of satellites. a service already provided to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
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