Iran shut down WhatsApp and Instagram to control protests
Iran's government has blocked Instagram and WhatsApp to control anti-hijab protests. At the same time strict restrictions have been imposed on internet usage. The government has taken such action due to ongoing protests across the country. News Al Jazeera.
According to media reports, protesting the death of a young woman named Mahsa Amini in police custody after her arrest on the issue of hijab, as protests and online anti-government campaigns continue in major cities of the country, Instagram and WhatsApp have been closed to control the situation.
On September 15, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by the country's moral police. He later died in police custody.
On September 20, at least 5 people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in the country. Besides, more than a hundred were injured in this incident. Protests have been held in other countries around the world. The United Nations has called for an impartial investigation of the incident.
Internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that a similar situation was seen across Iran. These two apps were not accessible from any mobile internet provider and broadband. First, the government shut down WhatsApp, followed by Instagram a few hours later.
Two residents of the capital, Tehran, said that they could only send text messages on WhatsApp but could not send any pictures. On the other hand, Instagram cannot be accessed at all.
Iran's agency Fars News Agency reported that according to the decision of the officials, Instagram cannot be used in Iran since Wednesday evening and there are also problems using WhatsApp.
Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, YouTube and TikTok have been frequently shut down in Iran over the past few years. As a result, these two mediums were being used the most.
At least nine deaths have been reported across the country so far in the ongoing protests. Among them is a policeman. Police clashed with protesters in at least 15 cities.
The United Nations Human Rights Commission has strongly criticized Iran's security forces' violent response to the protests. Calling for a fair and impartial investigation into the death of Mahsa Amini, the organization says that there should be a proper and impartial investigation into her tragic death, allegations of torture and the type of treatment she received later. The complaint brought by Mahsa's family should also be taken seriously.
Earlier in 2017, dozens of women took off their hijab in public and protested. Then the authorities took strict action against them. Both online and direct participation in this movement is worth seeing. Hence, along with police deployment to deal with street protests, Instagram and WhatsApp have also been blocked online.
Hijab has been compulsory for women since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. This dress code is strictly enforced by the country's morality police. But for the last few years, the implementation of the dress code rules has been creating a strong reaction from various people, especially young women, around various officers of the moral police. In various videos published on social media, policemen often force women into police vehicles.
Meanwhile, protests against the death of Mahsa Amini have been held in various countries of the world including Canada, Germany and Turkey. Protesters strongly criticized the Iranian government. At this time, many protested by cutting their hair.
