Country-wide demonstrations in Iran are entering their third week. The uprisings, now referred to as a people-led revolution in mainstream media, were initially sparked by crippling inflation driven by sanctions and government mismanagement. Iranians are now demanding regime change amid economic hardship and shrinking access to rights. The regime has met these demands with extreme violence, cracking down on protesters using military-grade weapons.
The Iranian regime has cut off all means of communication in an attempt to contain the escalating demonstrations. According to NetBlocks, as of noon on 12 January, Iran has been experiencing 90 hours of a full communications blackout. This includes internet access, shortwave radio, Starlink terminals, and direct-to-cell satellites. People are unable to access the latest news, exchange information through reliable channels, or exercise their right to dissent and protest. Media makers and journalists are unable to report on the ongoing protests and violence.
In an early wave, several influential online voices, including citizen journalists and social and political activists, have been arrested. Their social media platforms now display a government banner announcing to their followers that they are cyber criminals who spoke up against Islamic values and the regime.
Iran’s internet shutdown is chillingly precise and may last some time | Iran | The Guardian
In complete media silence, and in the absence of reliable information coming out of Iran, it is not possible for the international community to estimate the scale of the crackdown. However, according to reliable sources on the ground – eyewitnesses, occasional emerging footage, interviews with parents of those killed in the protests, and reports from human rights organisations – the death toll is estimated to be between 500 and 1,000 over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, Iranians in the diaspora are desperate to get in touch with family members inside Iran. More worrying is the government’s attempt to spread disinformation and conduct campaigns of fear designed to target opposing voices abroad. Despite these efforts, the diaspora has taken to online spaces to call on the international community for attention and support. They are filling the role of independent media, advocating for the rights of their fellow citizens in Iran. Using #IranDigitalBlackout on platforms such as Instagram, X, and Truth Social, they share scarcely available footage of violence with politicians in a plea for international support.
At RNW Media, we stand with the people of Iran and with all those being silenced for informing their communities and the world. We believe digital media can help build open societies in restrictive settings and a nationwide internet blackout is a weapon: it isolates people, hides abuses, and undermines fundamental rights.
We call on the Iranian regime to restore full internet and communications access immediately and end attacks on journalists, media makers, and citizens. We urge our followers, civil society, tech platforms, governments, and international bodies to defend the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers: speak out, amplify verified reporting, protect public interest digital media, and demand accountability.