Internet access in Iran partially restored after a 10-day blackout due to protests
Internet monitoring and digital human rights organizations reported that internet services partially restored in Iran on Sunday, following a ten-day blackout. This development comes after a heavy security crackdown by authorities on popular protests, amid reports from human rights organizations indicating a large number of casualties.
Context of the protests and the economic crisis
The events began on December 28, when demonstrations erupted initially as an angry reaction to deteriorating living conditions, soaring inflation, and the plummeting value of the local currency. These economic demands quickly transformed into a widespread political movement raising slogans against the regime that has been in power since 1979, prompting the authorities to impose an unprecedented internet blackout starting on the night of January 8 in an attempt to control the flow of information.
Compared to the events of 2022
Observers of Iranian affairs believe that this wave of protests represents the biggest challenge facing the Iranian leadership since the massive demonstrations that the country witnessed in late 2022. Those protests, which erupted following the death of young woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police on charges of violating dress codes, constituted a turning point in the relationship between the street and the authorities, and established a new pattern of bold protests that cross traditional red lines.
The “digital blackout” strategy and its impact
Iranian authorities frequently resort to a strategy of shutting down or drastically reducing internet speeds during periods of unrest. This policy, which human rights organizations describe as “digital blackout,” aims to achieve two main objectives:
- Isolating the protesters: preventing demonstrators from communicating with each other and organizing gatherings, and isolating them from the outside world to prevent the spread of images and videos documenting the security forces' handling of the events.
- Media blackout: Control over the official narrative of events, with authorities describing the demonstrations as “riots” carried out by “saboteurs” supported from abroad, while human rights organizations assert that the blackout was a cover for a bloody crackdown.
The current situation and the gradual return to normal life
With the announcement of a limited internet restoration, government officials confirmed that calm was returning to Iranian cities, noting the reopening of schools on Sunday after a full week of forced closure. Although the protests have lost momentum in recent days, tensions remain high, with people anxiously awaiting the outcome of the political and economic situation in the country, and questions lingering about the true extent of human losses incurred during the internet blackout.
