Mobile internet cut off in five provinces ahead of 40th anniversary of martyrdom
By security order, mobile internet access has been restricted in several provinces of Iran since 6:30 AM on Wednesday, January 24. The reason given is international traffic, but Netblocks says it is a “targeted disruption.”
As of 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 24, mobile phone internet was cut off in several provinces. ILNA news agency quoted an “informed source in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology” as saying that the reason for the shutdown was international traffic and that the issue did not include domestic traffic. The source reported that the shutdown of mobile phones in Alborz, Kurdistan, Zanjan, and Fars provinces was ordered by security authorities.
NetBlocks, a cybersecurity and government internet monitoring network, confirmed the disruption of mobile communications in Iran and said that the available evidence indicates a targeted disruption, not an international issue. It is believed that the current restriction is related to protests planned for the 40th anniversary of the November protests.
Netblocks data shows a significant drop in internet connection speeds on Rightel mobile phone lines between 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. local time. Some users have also reported that landline lines are also down in some areas.
The NetBlocks report states that on December 19, Iran was among several countries that experienced disruptions in the international Internet communications network; a disruption that severely weakened access to Google services and raised concerns of deliberate blocking.
In November, as nationwide protests in Iran escalated, the internet was shut down for five days, with access to it at around five percent.
Twitter users in Iran have reported the shutdown of mobile internet in Karaj, Mohammadshahr, Mallard, Fardis, and the city of Atmosphere. Sharq newspaper also tweeted: Mobile internet has been cut off in five provinces by order of security agencies, and the number of provinces without internet is likely to increase.
The drop in internet speed and restrictions on social media and websites come on the day of the funeral of Noor Ali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi Dervishes, and a day before the 40th anniversary of the deaths of those killed in the November protests. On Tuesday, the people of Tehran also witnessed the movement of security forces and special “anti-riot” vehicles on the central roads of the capital.
Thursday, January 25, marks the 40th anniversary of the deaths during the November protests. The parents of Pouya Bakhtiari, a 27-year-old man who was shot in the head in Mehrshahr, Karaj on November 15, had called on people to gather at the Behesht Sakineh cemetery in western Karaj. The family members were arrested after they refused security officials’ request to cancel the ceremony.
A citizen wrote on Twitter: "The internet shutdown is a sign of the power of the people."
Source: DW
