Iran Partially Restores Internet Access After 88-Day Outage

Iran’s internet connection to the outside world was partially restored on Tuesday, May 26, after an 88-day blackout, according to online watchdog NetBlocks. The blackout prevented contact with loved ones and made routine tasks such as checking the weather impossible. It also contributed to thousands of Iranians losing their jobs.

M. local time on January 8. Regime forces then began firing on civilians in the streets. The two days of violence that followed left an estimated 30,000 people killed by security forces, with students making up a significant portion of the victims.

Tehran-based photographer Tahmineh Monzavi, now 38, has documented young people in Iran since the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Amini was arrested for failing to wear a hijab properly.

Monzavi said the images show teenagers and young adults drinking in downtown coffee shops, posing with pets, smoking cigarettes and riding motorbikes, often without headscarves.

Monzavi was imprisoned at age 23 for photographing drug addicts and prostitutes in poorer parts of Tehran. She spent one month in solitary confinement in 2012 and developed an autoimmune disease that caused her to lose her hair. She has been taking medicine to stimulate hair growth for two months, though results remain patchy.

U.S. and Israel started their war with Iran, more than 3,000 deaths have occurred due to bombardments, with a large proportion of those deaths being civilians. Tehran says the war has caused around $270 billion in damages, which equates to around 57 per cent of Iran’s gross domestic product.

Most major social media platforms and messaging apps were already inaccessible in Iran before January unless users paid for costly virtual private networks. Telegram, Google Play, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter remain filtered, according to Tehran-based digital rights activist Saeed Souzangar.

Hassan, a 20-year-old student at the University of Tehran, said each day with the current leadership brings more death and poverty.

Sarfraz, a 25-year-old university student and high school teacher, said he feels monitored and fears there will be no genuine reforms in his lifetime. Malik, a 29-year-old dentist, said he is reading the 10th-century epic poem Shahnameh for hope but now sees immigration as too hard and too expensive.

Everyone spoken to knows at least one friend who was injured or killed in the 48 hours of violence that began January 8, Sarfraz said.

Monzavi said continuing her work remains more important for her heart than stepping away from the camera.