TEHRAN
Iran blocked access to Instagram and WhatsApp imposing drastic restrictions on internet access on Thursday.
The protests which entered the seventh day started after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last week, who was arrested by the controversial morality police in Tehran for “unsuitable attire”- not wearing a hijab- and allegedly beaten up.
“In accordance with a decision by officials, it has no longer been possible to access Instagram in Iran since yesterday (Wednesday) evening and access to WhatsApp is also disrupted,” Iran’s Fars news agency reported as per AFP.
Notably, internet access in Iran is already extremely restricted by the government and only those with access to VPNs can see uncensored content on the international websites. These connections have also slowed as the protests have spread, reports suggested.
Hengaw, a Kurdish rights group, said internet had been cut completely in the Kurdistan province on Wednesday, where protests have been intense.
