Mobile Internet Cut Off in Five Provinces Ahead of Memorial Ceremony for Protest Deaths
Following a security order, access to mobile internet in several Iranian provinces has been restricted from 6:30 AM on Wednesday, December 4th. While officials cited international traffic as the reason, NetBlocks says this is a “targeted disruption.”
Starting at 6:30 AM on Wednesday, December 4th, mobile phone internet was cut off in several provinces. According to ILNA news agency, citing an “informed source in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology,” the reason is international traffic, and the issue does not involve domestic traffic. The source reported that the mobile phone cut-off in the provinces of Alborz, Kurdistan, Zanjan, and Fars was ordered by security authorities.
NetBlocks, a cybersecurity and internet governance monitoring network, confirmed the disruption in mobile communications in Iran and stated that available evidence indicates a “targeted disruption” rather than an international issue. It is suspected that the current restrictions may be related to planned protests for the memorial ceremony of those killed during the November protests.
NetBlocks data shows a dramatic decrease in internet connection speeds for mobile network lines of “Rightel” between 6:30 and 8:00 AM (local time). Some users also reported that fixed phone lines were down in some areas.
In a NetBlocks report, it was mentioned that on December 19, Iran was among several countries that experienced disruptions in international internet communications, an outage that severely weakened access to Google services and raised concerns about intentional blocking.
In November, as nationwide protests peaked in Iran, the internet was cut off for five days with access at around 5 percent.
Twitter users in Iran reported the mobile internet cut-off for Hamrah Aval in Karaj, Mohammadshahr, Malard, Fardis, and Atmosphere City. The Shargh newspaper also tweeted: “Mobile internet has been cut off in five provinces by order of security bodies, and the number of provinces without internet may increase further.”
The internet speed drop and restrictions on access to social networks and websites coincide with the burial day of Nour Ali Tabandeh, a leader of the Gonabadi Dervishes, and one day before the arrival of the memorial ceremony for those killed in November’s protests. Tehran residents also witnessed the movement of security forces and special “anti-riot” vehicles on central routes of the capital on Tuesday.
Thursday, December 5th, is the fortieth day memorial for those killed during the November demonstrations. The parents of Pouya Bakhtiari, a 27-year-old who was shot in the head on November 25th in Mehr City in Karaj, had asked people to gather at “Bahar-e Sakeeneh” cemetery in western Karaj. Family members were arrested after refusing the request of security officials to cancel the ceremony.
A citizen wrote on Twitter: “Internet cutoff is a sign of the people’s power.”
Source: DW
