TEHRAN: Iranian authorities have said they are considering "gradually" restoring Internet access after imposing an unprecedented communications shutdown 10 days ago, which rights groups say masked violent protests that killed thousands. Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into "riots" and blamed foreign influence, namely from Iran's foes, the United States and Israel.
Government officials have said calm has been restored, with schools reopening on Sunday — Iran's weekend falling on Thursday and Friday — after a week of closure. Late on Saturday, the Tasnim news agency reported "the relevant authorities announced that Internet access would also be gradually restored", but gave no further details. Citing an unnamed "informed source", the agency said local messaging applications "will soon be activated" on Iran's domestic Intranet.
On Sunday morning, it was able to connect to the Internet from its Tehran office, though the vast majority of Internet providers and mobile Internet remain cut. Outgoing international calls have been possible since Tuesday, and text messaging was restored on Saturday morning. For days, text messages and international phone calls — and at times even local calls — were cut off. Iran has since been relying on its Intranet, which has supported local media websites, ride-hailing apps, delivery service and banking platforms.
Despite the restrictions, information had still filtered out, with reports of atrocities emerging, according to rights groups. Amnesty International said it had verified dozens of videos and accounts in recent days. Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic republic's health and medical system, eyewitnesses and multiple independent sources.
Iran's supreme leader said on Saturday that authorities "must break the back of the seditionists", whom he accused of killing thousands during the wave of protests that were brutally repressed in the country. The demonstrations were sparked by anger over economic hardship that exploded into the biggest protests against the Islamic republic in more than three years. But demonstrations have subsided after the crackdown that rights groups say left thousands of people dead under an Internet blackout that has lasted more than a week. Schools were set to resume on Sunday, the ISNA news agency said, following a one-week closure, with postponed university exams set to be held in a week.
Authorities have said demonstrations they condemn as "riots" had been controlled and calm returned, with state-aligned media reporting thousands of arrests. "The Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just as it broke the back of the sedition," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told supporters during a televised address. "We do not intend to lead the country to war, but we will not spare domestic criminals," he added, saying "international criminals" were "worse".
On Sunday, Iran's judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir reiterated that swift trials would be held. "All those who played a decisive role in these calls for violence, which led to bloodshed and significant damage to public finances, will not be spared," he said. — AFP
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