Iran Disables Phone Lines, Shuts Down Internet As Protest Spreads

Iran experienced a total internet shutdown on Thursday night as nationwide protests over economic issues continued, putting more pressure on the country’s leaders.

It was not clear what caused the internet outage, which was first reported by the internet freedom monitor, NetBlocks but there are indications the authorities have taken the measures as a way to control the protest.

Iranian authorities have previously cut off the internet as a response to protests.

NetBlocks had said there were problems with internet service in the western city of Kermanshah earlier that on Thursday, as the government was increasing its efforts to stop the protesters.

A Norwegian-based human rights group called Iran Human Rights reported on Thursday that Iranian security forces have killed at least 45 protesters, including eight children, since the protests started in late December, according to the Guardian UK.

Shopkeepers followed the request from seven Kurdish political groups to stop work on Thursday, shutting their stores in Kurdish areas and many other cities across Iran.

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The Hengaw rights group shared video showing closed stores in the western regions of Ilam, Kermanshah, and Lorestan.

It said that officials shot at people protesting in Kermanshah and the nearby town of Kamyaran to the north, and several protesters were hurt.

Protests spread to all 31 provinces on Thursday, and the movement continues without slowing down.

In the southern Fars province, protesters removed the statue of the former top Revolutionary Guards commander from the al-Quds force, Qassem Suleimani, who was seen as a hero by many government supporters.

Verified video showed protesters happy and cheering as the statue was taken down. Protests continued throughout the night on Thursday, with many people gathering on the wide Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard in the north-west part of Tehran.

The crowd was heard cheering as cars beeped their horns in support, as shown in social media pictures checked by Agence France-Presse.

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Other pictures showed people gathering and showing support in the western city of Abadan.

A woman who was at a protest in that city on Wednesday evening was shot in the eye, reported by IHR. IHR stated Wednesday that it was the deadliest day of the ongoing 12-day protest, with 13 demonstrators confirmed dead.

“The evidence shows that the crackdown is getting more violent and wider each day,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, noting that hundreds more have been injured and over 2,000 have been arrested.

On Wednesday, a police officer was killed west of Tehran while attempting to manage “unrest,” according to the Fars news agency.