Spanish
Iran is going through its second consecutive week under an internet blackout, a measure imposed by the theocratic regime on January 8th, which seeks to restrict the flow of information and hide the extent of the repression against the protests that shook the country at the beginning of the year. The cut keeps a large part of the population without access to the global network and with severely limited communications.
The organization NetBlocks, which monitors connectivity worldwide, reported that the country completed 14 days of national blackout.
"Iran has been under a nationwide internet shutdown for two full weeks," the group noted on social media X. According to their measurements, connectivity levels "remain practically flat," with only "a slight increase in networks authorized by the regime."
In recent days, some users managed to sporadically connect to external services, although in a limited and discontinuous manner. NetBlocks indicated that "a few users can now open tunnels to the outside", without detailing the methods used, and suggested that the Iranian regime would be testing a connectivity system based on "whitelists", restricted to previously approved sites and services.
The crackdown began on the night of January 8, when a wave of protests spread through several Iranian cities. The demonstrations, initiated weeks earlier by merchants affected by the depreciation of the rial, quickly turned into slogans against the Islamic Republic and reached their peak on January 8 and 9, with a strong response from the security forces.
You can also read: At least 3,117 people have died in the protests in Iran, according to the first official report
According to a statement from the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans, 3,117 people died during the protests. The organization distinguished between “martyrs”, a category it attributed to members of the security forces and civilians unrelated to the protests, and “rooters”, whom it linked to the United States. Of the total reported, 2,427 were classified as “martyrs”.
Human rights organizations, however, question those figures and maintain that the majority of deaths were caused by direct shots from security forces against protesters. Some estimates raise the number of deaths to several thousand more and even warn that it could far exceed the official data. These groups denounce that the digital blackout hinders the collection of evidence and the independent verification of the facts.
