Keep the Internet On in Iran: Silence Enables Killing
Iran’s authorities have cut internet and phone access during nationwide protests—while people are being killed, injured, and reportedly seized from hospitals. Silence enables escalation. Real-time visibility saves lives.
Why the world cannot stay quiet
1) People are being killed and thousands detained. Independent reporting and rights organizations cite dozens killed since late December 2025, with totals varying by source because verification becomes harder during blackouts.
- A Tehran doctor told TIME on condition of anonymity that just six hospitals in the capital had recorded at least 217 protester deaths, “most by live ammunition.”
2) Hospitals are being violated—wounded protesters reportedly seized. Multiple reports describe security forces raiding hospitals and targeting wounded protesters, including accounts of people being taken from medical facilities.
3) Internet and phone shutdowns are part of the crackdown. A growing body of reporting describes communications disruptions occurring amid intensifying protests—again observed by monitors and covered by major outlets. These shutdowns don’t only silence protesters. They also:
- block families from locating the detained and injured,
- prevent real-time documentation of abuses,
- and make it easier for violence to escalate with reduced accountability.
Why awareness matters when major media are quiet. It is unmistakable that many large outlets are not sustaining coverage proportional to the scale and severity of the crackdown. Some of that is driven by the regime’s blackout strategy—which makes verification harder and discourages continuous reporting.
But the outcome is the same: When media attention drops and cameras go dark, repression becomes easier—and more deadly.
What we are demanding
We call on democratic governments, international bodies, and technology/platform actors to treat Iran’s shutdowns as a human-rights emergency and respond within hours, not weeks.
A) Emergency response to shutdowns
- Publicly and immediately condemn any nationwide internet/phone shutdown as a human-rights violation and an escalation risk.
- Activate rapid diplomatic pressure the same day a blackout is confirmed.
B) Consequences tied directly to blackouts and violence. Establish automatic consequences when blackouts coincide with lethal crackdowns (e.g., targeted measures against agencies and officials overseeing repression).
C) Protect medical neutrality. Demand an immediate end to hospital raids, intimidation of doctors, and seizure of wounded protesters, and support documentation for future accountability.
D) Support real-time visibility. Expand support for anti-censorship and communication access so documentation and emergency contact can continue during unrest. #StopTheMassacreInTheDark