The Institute for the Study of War reported 116 protests across 22 Iranian provinces, including 20 large ones with over 1,000 people each. The regime has sustained an internet shutdown, but protesters are using Starlink to bypass it.
The Institute for the Study of War, a policy research organisation, on Saturday said it recorded 116 protests across 22 provinces since 3:30pm (local time) on January 8. As per the report, Iran saw 20 huge protests- ones that have a turnout of over 1,000 people.
In a post on X, the Institute said, "Critical Threats and ISW have recorded 116 protests across 22 provinces since 3:30 PM ET on January 8. Twenty of these protests were large protests, which CTP-ISW defines as protests with more than 1,000 participants. CTP-ISW's protest data since its last data cutoff likely reflects only part of the protest activity that has taken place in Iran since that time, given that the internet shutdown restricts protesters' ability to publish and share videos of the protests. Some protesters have reportedly used Starlink to send reports of protests to foreign media."
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Regime Sustains Internet Shutdown
Earlier in the day, the Institute said that the regime had sustained the internet shutdown in a bid to dampen the protests, but they have been going on regardless. In a post on X, the think tank said, "The Iranian regime has sustained its nationwide internet shutdown, likely to disrupt protest coordination and obscure the scale of its repression. Widespread protest activity has continued to take place across Iran amid the internet shutdown."
Protests Challenging Security Forces
Further detailing the protests, it said, "The protests in Iran may have expanded to such an extent that they are challenging Iranian security forces' ability to suppress them. Protesters damaged regime institutions in multiple cities across Iran on January 8 and 9. The Iranian regime may increasingly rely on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to suppress the protests as local Law Enforcement Command forces reportedly face bandwidth constraints."
Starlink Used to Bypass Internet Block
Posting videos that she says she received from people in Iran via Starlink, prominent Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad said, "It's been over 24 hours now that the dictator of Iran has shut down internet connections for 90 million Iranians. Internet access is the lifeline of Iran uprising and by making Starlink services available for Iranian revolutionaries, Elon Musk has made a crucial and indispensable contribution to the fight for democracy in Iran."
Internet Blackout Confirmed
Meanwhile, Internet monitor Netblocks detailed the reported Internet blocks across Iran, "It's now 8:00 am in Iran where the sun is rising after another night of protests met with repression; metrics show the nationwide internet blackout remains in place at 36 hours, severely limiting Iranians' ability to check on the safety of friends and loved ones ."
World Leaders Condemn Crackdown
World leaders on Saturday condemned the killing and arrest of protesters as they gripped Iran as threat looms over the administration. In a joint statement, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and the European Union lauded the bravery displayed by the citizens of Iran and condemned the reported crackdown by the regime. (*ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
