Tehran, Iran – Iran has entered its sixth day of total isolation from the world, with Netblocks, an organization specializing in monitoring network security and internet freedom,
confirming that the nationwide blackout has exceeded 132 hours,
with no signs of a sustained restoration of communications.
In an update released today, the organization described the situation in Iran
as a continuing “digital blackout,” asserting that technical data clearly shows
the country has remained offline since 10:00 PM on Thursday, January 8 (Tehran time).
Iran… and a cover-up of massive human losses
NetBlocks indicated that this disruption is not merely a technical obstacle,
but a tool used by the authorities to obscure what is happening on the ground.
The internet blackout has severely limited the ability to independently verify the true extent of the human toll.
The organization noted that there are “initial reports indicating thousands of deaths” as a result of the clashes,
and stressed that every video that leaks out despite the censorship
“shows widespread and disproportionate use of force against civilians.”
This report reinforces international concerns that the Iranian government is employing
a “scorched earth” policy to suppress protests away from the eyes of cameras
and the lenses of the international press, exploiting the severing of the
only remaining lifeline for citizens to the outside world.
