Iran is undergoing a coordinated campaign of repression marked by nationwide internet shutdowns and lethal state violence.

During periods of mass protest, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly imposed near-total internet blackouts to isolate the population, suppress free expression, and conceal abuses. Independent monitoring organizations such as NetBlocks and human-rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented these shutdowns as deliberate tools of repression.

In the most recent wave of protests, which followed a public call by Reza Pahlavi urging Iranians to demonstrate peacefully for freedom and democratic change, millions of people were abruptly cut off from the outside world. In several regions, electricity was also disrupted. With communication silenced, security forces escalated violence against civilians.

According to reports referenced by United Nations bodies and human-rights observers, the government's response has included lethal force, mass arrests, and unlawful detentions, resulting in numerous civilian deaths.

Much of this repression is carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated security forces. The IRGC, which has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States, plays a central role in the violent suppression of protests, surveillance of civilians, mass arrests, and the use of military-grade force against unarmed demonstrators.

The involvement of a designated terrorist organization in domestic repression underscores the severity of the crisis. These actions are not isolated abuses but part of a systematic campaign to maintain power through fear, violence, and information control.

Internet shutdowns are not merely technical disruptions. They are a human-rights violation. The UN Human Rights Council has affirmed that access to information and communication technologies is integral to freedom of expression. By cutting internet access during protests, Iranian authorities intentionally prevent documentation of killings, deny emergency communication, and shield perpetrators from accountability.

Unarmed civilians are confronting live ammunition, shotguns, tear gas, drones, and organized security forces. This is not public order—it is state violence against a population demanding fundamental rights.

Many Iranians, inside and outside the country, are calling for a peaceful transition away from the current ruling authorities. A growing number view Reza Pahlavi as a legitimate and unifying figure capable of helping coordinate a transitional process—together with a broad, inclusive coalition—toward a secular, democratic system based on popular sovereignty, rule of law, and respect for human rights.

Without meaningful international action, the authorities in Iran believe they can continue killing protesters in silence and without consequences.

We call on democratic governments, international institutions, and technology stakeholders to act immediately:

• Publicly condemn the internet shutdowns and lethal repression
• Take concrete steps to restore and protect internet access for the Iranian people
• Impose real consequences on officials ordering and carrying out violence against civilians, including the immediate removal of current leadership from authority
• Support the Iranian people's right to self-determination, including a peaceful transition away from the current ruling authorities and toward a democratic system supported by the people of Iran
• Every hour without internet access costs lives. Every delay strengthens repression.
• Hold the IRGC and its leadership accountable through sanctions, international legal mechanisms, and diplomatic pressure for their role in violence against civilians

Stand with the people of Iran. Do not allow murder to hide behind silence.

Updates:

1/13/2026

At least 12,000 killed in Iran crackdown as blackout deepens

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601130145