Since 8th January 2026, Iranian civilians have been isolated from the rest of the world. Once the United States-Israel strikes began, Cloudflare Radar stated that net traffic in Iran dropped by around 98 percent. Till today, Iranian citizens are unable to access critical information about where bombardment has happened, which medical facilities are affected and where new rounds of bombings are about to occur.
Owing to our long-standing advocacy against internet shutdowns, Software Freedom Law Center, India (“SFLC.in”) condemns the imposition of such measures by Iran as they are violative of fundamental human rights. Being a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”), Iran has failed to respect its obligations to protect fundamental rights like the freedom of speech and expression, assembly and access to information, particularly under Article 19 of the ICCPR.
Imposing internet shutdowns in such situations of crisis can often restrict access to essential services such as food and shelter, healthcare, emergency assistance and humanitarian aid. As the conflict rages on, violence against protestors has also escalated on an immense scale. To make matters worse, Iranian citizens are not able to receive information on evacuation protocols owing to the internet shutdowns and the lack of a functioning air-raid warning system. Restricting such flow of information, in such turbulent times, can mark the difference between life and death scenarios for an ordinary citizen. Given the disproportionate implications of such measures, the Human Rights Watch emphasised that such measures do not have any legal basis in international humanitarian or human rights law.
Additionally, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights enshrine guidelines for corporations to promote human rights considering their major position as a stakeholder in the modern landscape of digital communication technologies. Accordingly, telecommunication companies have a duty to uphold human rights and undertake proactive steps to undertake measures to push back against rights-violating practices such as blocking access to social media platforms.
We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately restore full and unrestricted access to all affected internet services and social media platforms in Iran.
We call upon Internet service providers to stop enforcing shutdown orders, to approach relevant forums to challenge such unlawful government directives, and uphold their duty to respect the human rights of Iranian citizens.
SFLC.in stands in solidarity with movements in Iran and globally that continue to resist censorship and fight for free and open internet access.
