Joint statement: 55 human rights organizations warn about the "Protection" plan

HRANA News Agency – A group of human rights activists in Iran, along with 54 other Iranian, regional and international human rights and civil rights organizations, issued a joint statement warning against the implementation of the “Protection” plan and further restrictions on the Internet. The statement expressed concern over the implementation of the “Protection” plan and called on “ members of the international community, including governments that are engaged in bilateral and multilateral negotiations and dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” to “insist on the Iranian authorities to fulfill their human rights obligations .”

According to HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, fifty-five other Iranian, regional, and international human rights and civil rights organizations issued a joint statement warning against the implementation of the "Protection" plan and further restrictions on the Internet.

The statement expressed concern over the implementation of the "Protection" plan and called on " members of the international community, including governments engaged in bilateral and multilateral negotiations and dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran," to "strongly urge the Iranian authorities to comply with their human rights obligations ."

The statement also states: "The civil society organizations signing this statement believe that the approval of the " Protection Plan " will lead to a gradual reduction in international Internet bandwidth in Iran, as well as a violation of the right to privacy and the right to access a safe and free Internet. One of the worrying elements of the " Protection Plan " is the transfer of control of communication infrastructure and international Internet gateways to the armed forces and security institutions."

The full text of this statement follows exactly:

A group of human rights organizations warn about the " Protection " plan 

We, a group of human rights organizations and civil society institutions, by signing this statement express our deep concern over the efforts of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran to approve the general outlines of the "Cyberspace Services Regulatory System Plan", which in its previous versions was called the "Protection of Users' Rights in Cyberspace and Regulation of Social Messaging" plan. We are announcing the “Protection Bill . ” If passed , the “ Protection Bill ” would violate a wide range of human rights of the people of Iran, including their right to freedom of expression and their right to privacy . We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately remove the Protection Bill from the agenda of the Iranian parliament. We also call on the international community, especially those countries that are directly negotiating with the Iranian authorities , to prioritize the protection and upholding of human rights in Iran and, in this regard, call on the Iranian parliament to immediately repeal the “ Protection Bill . ” 

While the UN Human Rights Council will soon decide on the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, the Islamic Republic’s parliament is pursuing the “ Protection Plan ” to address the growing human rights abuses in Iran. If implemented , the “ Protection Plan ” could lead to further restrictions and even a complete shutdown of access to communication services in Iran. There are also concerns that the “ Protection Plan ” could be used as a tool to cover up other gross human rights violations in Iran. 

We welcome the decision of the Presidium of the Majlis to cancel the approval of the general outline of the plan by the Joint Commission on the Protection Plan . However, the approval of the general outline of the plan in the 3rd session of the Joint Commission, and that too with the vote of only 18 members of the Majlis, is a matter of great concern. The risk of the approval of the “ Protection Plan ” is imminent and probable. In Mordad 1400, the Majlis agreed to review and approve the “ Protection Plan ” based on Article 85 of the Constitution . According to this decision , instead of reviewing the plan in the open session of the Majlis as usual, a special commission consisting of 24 members (with a quorum of 18 votes) will review the plan and approve it for trial implementation for a period of three to five years . The use of Article 85 by the Majlis in reviewing the plan and also approving the general outline of the plan in the 3rd session of the Joint Commission, despite widespread protests inside and outside Iran, indicates the firm determination of the Iranian authorities to approve this regressive plan . We remain concerned that the approval and implementation of the " Protection Plan " is in practice dependent on the whims of a small committee of representatives who insist on violating the rights of people throughout the country . 

" Protection Plan " and the worrying changes in the field of Internet surveillance and control 

The civil society organizations signing this statement believe that the approval of the “ Protection Plan ” will lead to a gradual reduction in international Internet bandwidth in Iran, as well as a violation of the right to privacy and the right to access a safe and free Internet. One of the worrying elements of the “ Protection Plan ” is the transfer of control of communication infrastructure and international Internet gateways to the armed forces and security institutions. According to the latest version of the plan, a working group called the “ Border Gateway Management Working Group” will be established as an institution overseeing Internet gateways. These gateways connect Iran to the international Internet . This newly established working group will be managed under the supervision of the National Cyberspace Center, which is itself an institution under the direct supervision of the Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei. In addition to the National Cyberspace Center, the working group will consist of representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Passive Defense Organization, the law enforcement forces, and the Attorney General of the country. 

Delegating control of the internet and communications to institutions that repeatedly commit gross human rights violations with absolute impunity will have a devastating impact on the right to freedom of expression in Iran. Documentation by human rights organizations shows that the security forces of the Islamic Republic, including the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Intelligence , have committed gross human rights violations and serious international crimes, including the unlawful use of deadly force , widespread arbitrary detentions , enforced disappearances , as well as torture and other ill-treatment of detainees and prisoners during the suppression of nationwide protests in 2017, 2018, and November 2019. Worryingly , the passage of the “ Protection Plan ” will make internet shutdowns and online censorship even easier and more opaque than before. We recall that the internet shutdown is not only a violation of human rights , including the right to access information and the right to freedom of expression, but also a tool in the hands of the authorities to facilitate and conceal other gross human rights violations. A clear example of this policy is the bloody suppression of the nationwide protests of November 2019 , which took place in the darkness of a week-long internet shutdown . 

Blocking social networks and international internet services 

بنا بر آخرین نسخه‌ی «طرح صیانت»، تمام شرکت‌های فناوری خارجی فعال در ایران ملزم به معرفی نماینده‌ی قانونی در داخل کشور، پرداخت مالیات و هم‌چنین همکاری با جمهوری اسلامی در پروژه‌های فیلترینگ و پایش و نظارت آنلاین خواهند شد. همچنین شرکت‌ها ملزم به ذخیره‌سازی و پردازش «کلان داده‌ها و داده‌های حساس و حیاتی» کاربران ایرانی در داخل کشور خواهند بود و در صورت عدم رعایت این الزامات با مجازات‌های قانونی مواجه خواهند شد. همچنین بر اساس نسخه‌ی آخر «طرح صیانت»، دسترسی به خدمات شرکت‌هایی که با خواسته‌های جمهوری اسلامی همکاری نکنند با استفاده از تکنیک کاهش پهنای باند محدود خواهد شد و در نهایت کارگروه تعیین مصادیق محتوای مجرمانه (کمیته فیلترینگ) می‌تواند دستور مسدودسازی کامل خدمت آنلاین یا شبکه‌ی اجتماعی را صادر کند. همکاری شرکت‌های فناوری با این خواسته‌ها قطعا منجر به خطرات جدی برای تمام کاربران اینترنت در ایران خواهد شد. در عمل، این بخش از «طرح صیانت» شرکت‌های فناوری را وادار به انتخاب بین محدود شدن دسترسی به خدمات‌شان و یا پیروی از قوانینی می‌کند که منجر به نقض حق حریم خصوصی و حق آزادی بیان کاربران در ایران می‌شوند. این الزامات همسو با تلاش‌های جمهوری اسلامی برای تثبیت و تعمیق نقش شبکه‌ی ملی اطلاعات (اینترنت ملی) است. شبکه‌ی ملی اطلاعات شبکه‌ای مبتنی بر پروتکل‌های اینترنت است که در داخل ایران میزبانی می‌شود. این مجموعه الزامات و اقدامات جریان اطلاعات و راه‌های ارتباطی را تحت نظارت و سانسور شدید حکومتی قرار می‌دهد و می‌تواند در نهایت منجر به قطع اتصال ایران از اینترنت بین‌الملل شود. در صورت همکاری با جمهوری اسلامی، شرکت‌های بین‌المللی و خدمات آن‌ها (حداقل در زمینه‌ی ذخیره‌سازی داخلی اطلاعات) تبدیل به جزئی از شبکه‌ی ملی اطلاعات خواهند شد؛ در صورت عدم همکاری، دسترسی به این خدمات مختل و در مواردی کاربران وادار به استفاده از خدمات موجود در شبکه‌ی ملی اطلاعات خواهند شد. «طرح صیانت» همچنین مجازات‌های جدیدی علیه کسانی که از موادش تخلف می‌کنند معرفی کرده است. ماده‌ی ۲۰ «طرح صیانت» تولید، توزیع، تکثیر و عرضه‌ی ابزارهای دور زدن فیلترینگ (مانند وی‌پی‌ان‌ها و پراکسی‌ها) را جرم‌انگاری کرده و برای آن مجازات درجه‌ی شش با حداکثر دو سال زندان در نظر گرفته است. بر أساس ماده‌ی ۲۱ طرح، ارائه‌ی دسترسی به داده‌های کاربران در داخل ایران برای شرکت‌های غیرمجاز خارجی توسط شرکت‌های ارائه دهنده‌ی خدمات اینترنت ایرانی (ISPها) جرم‌انگاری شده و می‌تواند منجر به حکم ۱۰ سال زندان شود. 

Reactions inside and outside Iran in opposition to the protection plan 

Since the beginning of the review of the “ Protection Bill ” , internet users in Iran, along with their businesses and unions , as well as human rights defenders, digital freedom activists, international human rights organizations , and UN experts , have all expressed serious concerns about its possible passage . In October 2021, four UN Special Rapporteurs expressed their concerns about the “ Protection Bill ” and the lack of transparency in the process of its review in the parliament, in a letter addressed to the authorities of the Islamic Republic ( OL IRN 29/2021 ) , and called on the Iranian authorities to immediately cancel the bill. Protests and criticism of the “ Protection Bill ” and the parliament’s efforts to pass it outside the framework of regular legislative processes have not been limited to civil society activists. By March 20, 150 members of parliament had written a letter to the parliament’s presidium calling for the bill to be reviewed and voted on in the open chamber of the parliament instead of in a special commission on the “ Protection Bill . ” 

Members of the international community, including governments engaged in bilateral and multilateral negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as member states of the UN Human Rights Council, must strongly urge the Iranian authorities to live up to their human rights obligations . Without urgent action, the people of Iran risk increasing isolation from the world and further human rights violations. 

Source: HRANA