Iran ‘temporarily’ blocks internet access amid unrest

A man holds a smartphone connected to a Wifi network without internet access at an office in the Iranian capital Tehran on 17 November 2019. [ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images]

The impoverished south-eastern provinces of Iran have had their internet access disrupted by authorities over the past week as unrest swept the provinces after a fatal border shootings.

Several human rights groups said in a joint statement that Iranian authorities shut down mobile data networks in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, describing the disruptions as a “tool to conceal” the government’s harsh crackdown on protests destabilising the region.

Internet access was blocked for three days from Wednesday to early on Saturday.

Iran last week announced that it was investigating an incident in which at least two Iranians were shot dead at the border with Pakistan.

READ: Protesters storm southeast Iran state building after deadly Pakistan border shootings

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