Iran Blocks Nearly All Internet Access As Anti-Government Protests Intensify

Topline

Iranian authorities blocked nearly all internet access in the country in an attempt to clamp down on nationwide anti-government protests over the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini at the hands of the country’s so-called “morality police”, which continued to swell on Wednesday night.

Key Facts

Mobile internet has been shut down on nearly all major cellular networks in the country while access to popular social media platforms Instagram and WhatsApp have been blocked, global internet monitoring organization NetBlocks reported.

Instagram is the only major Western social media platform accessible in Iran and women used it, as well as TikTok, to protest Amini’s death by sharing videos of themselves taking off their hijab and cutting their hair.

The messaging platform WhatsApp, which has been used to share videos and photos of the protests, has also been completely blocked in the country.

Other major social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are already banned in Iran.

What We Don’t Know

Death toll from the protests has continued to rise but an exact count remains unclear. According to Reuters, local officials and media have pegged the nationwide toll at eight, including a police officer and a member of the security forces. Kurdish human rights group Hengaw claims at least ten people have been killed by security forces, including a 16-year-old boy and two men aged 21 and 27 on Wednesday. A separate BBC report claims that at least nine people have died.

Key Background

Anti-government protests—led by women—have spread rapidly across Iran following Amini’s death. Amini was arrested by the country’s morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the dress code for women, which requires them to wear a hijab and wear clothing that covers their arms and legs in public. Mahsa was allegedly beaten after her arrest and later died following a three-day coma. Iranian authorities initially tried to brush off the issue by suggesting Amini’s death was caused by a pre-existing health condition, which her family has since denied. Outraged by this, people across the country have taken to the streets with several women burning their headscarves in protest. Anger has been directed at the leadership in Tehran with many protestors chanting for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba Khamenei.

Further Reading

Anti-Hijab Protests Led By Women Spread Across Iran—Here’s What You Need To Know (Forbes)

Iran protests spread, death toll rises as internet curbed (Reuters)

Internet disrupted in Iran amid protests over death of Mahsa Amini (Netblocks)