Since 28 December 2025, Iran has experienced widespread protests that began in Tehran following a sharp currency collapse and rising inflation, with demonstrators calling for the fall of the Islamic Republic system. The protests quickly spread to cities across the country, prompting a violent crackdown by Iranian authorities involving unlawful use of force, firearms, and mass arbitrary arrests. Between 31 December 2025 and 3 January 2026, at least 28 protesters and bystanders, including children, were reportedly killed in 13 cities across eight provinces. Amnesty International is investigating further reports that security forces have intensified their use of lethal force following an imposed internet blackout.
On 8 January 2026, Iranian authorities imposed a nationwide internet and telecommunications shutdown, effectively cutting off digital access as protests intensified. Rebecca White, a researcher at Amnesty International’s Security Lab, stated that the blackout was deliberately used to conceal the full extent of grave human rights violations and crimes under international law committed to suppress the protests. She emphasized that internet access is a fundamental human right, particularly critical during periods of protest, and that blanket shutdowns intentionally prevent the documentation and reporting of abuses, perpetuating impunity for state crimes.
Amnesty International highlighted that Iran has repeatedly used internet shutdowns to suppress dissent, citing incidents in November 2019 and during the Woman Life Freedom protests of 2022, when hundreds of protesters and bystanders were unlawfully killed under similar communications blackouts. White noted that total internet cuts are inherently disproportionate under international human rights law and must never be used, even in emergencies. Amnesty International called on Iranian authorities to immediately restore full internet access and urged urgent global diplomatic action to prevent further bloodshed amid the ongoing crackdown.
The internet blackout has coincided with reports of escalating violence, with security forces allegedly intensifying lethal actions against demonstrators. The shutdown has left citizens unable to access reliable information or communicate with the outside world, further endangering lives and limiting the international community’s ability to respond to ongoing human rights abuses.
