Incident
Iran: near-total internet shutdown during fuel-price protests
Iran cut internet connectivity to about five percent of normal levels nationwide for nearly a week during protests over fuel prices, while arresting at least eleven journalists, including one detained for reporting on the shutdown itself.123
What happened
Protests broke out across Iran in mid-November 2019 after the government raised fuel prices without warning. Beginning around November 16, 2019, Iranian authorities imposed a near-total shutdown of internet service that lasted nearly a week, with connectivity dropping to about five percent of normal levels nationwide for several days. Human rights monitors said the blackout appeared aimed at stopping the flow of news about the protests and about the security forces' violent response to them. During the shutdown and the days that followed, at least eleven journalists, including photographers and camera operators, were arrested in connection with the protests. One journalist, Mohammad Mosaed, was arrested specifically for posting on social media about the internet shutdown itself and was released on bail the following month.123
Closed; connectivity was restored after roughly a week.123
What reason was given
Stated justification
What changed for reporting
The shutdown prevented most independent reporting on the protests and the security response from leaving the country in real time, and journalists who wrote about the blackout itself were arrested.1
Timeline
2019
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Hassan Rouhani | other | President of Iran |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Mosaed | journalist | affected |
Sources
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- Number of journalists arrested during the period of the shutdown.
at least 11 journalists, including photographers and cameramen, had been arrested since the start of the protests in mid-November
Freedom in the World 2020: Iran, Freedom House, 2020-01-01.Claim 544, checked 2026-09-22. - Duration of the shutdown.
a near-total shutdown of internet service for nearly a week
Freedom in the World 2020: Iran, Freedom House, 2020-01-01.Claim 653, checked 2026-09-22. - Scale of the reduction in connectivity.
connectivity dropped to just 5 percent of normal levels for several days
Freedom in the World 2020: Iran, Freedom House, 2020-01-01.Claim 654, checked 2026-09-22.