Internet blackout and protests in IranCEFR B1
21 Feb 2026
Adapted from Guest Contributor, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Parastoo Maleki, Unsplash
What began with coordinated strikes in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on 27 December 2025 quickly spread into demonstrations across more than 30 provinces. On 8 January 2026 Iranian authorities imposed a total internet shutdown; limited access started to return on 23 January.
NetBlocks confirmed a near‑complete collapse of mobile, fixed‑line and international services. When connectivity returned, videos and testimonies appeared that suggested wide state violence. The UN Human Rights Council described the violence as “unprecedented in its scope and brutality.” Reports from TIME and the NGO HRANA pointed to large numbers of deaths and mass arrests, and HRANA said detainees faced overcrowded conditions and risks of torture and forced confessions.
The blackout also affected who could speak for Iranians abroad. State defenders and aligned commentators shaped the international discussion, while activists criticised some diaspora figures and groups.
Difficult words
- strike — work stoppage by workers to proteststrikes
- demonstration — public gathering of people to show protestdemonstrations
- shutdown — complete stop of a service or system
- connectivity — ability to connect to a network or internet
- testimony — spoken or written account by a witnesstestimonies
- unprecedented — never seen before in degree or scale
- detainee — person kept in custody by authoritiesdetainees
- diaspora — people from a country living outside it
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can an internet shutdown affect people who try to report on protests and events?
- Why do you think organisations like TIME and HRANA reported on deaths and mass arrests during these events?
- How might a blackout change which people or groups speak for a country’s community abroad?
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