Mullahs in great danger

Concerns have been growing since yesterday about a brutal crackdown in Iran, which has been cut off from the world by an internet blackout, following renewed protests against the government in what has been an unprecedented mobilization in three years.

NGOs have reported dozens of deaths since the movement began in late December, as the Islamic Republic faces one of its greatest challenges since its establishment in 1979.

Iranians have now been without internet access for 48 hours following a decision by the authorities, according to the cybersecurity monitoring NGO Netblocks.

Under these conditions, little information is getting through

The internet shutdown aims « to conceal the violence inflicted during the crackdown, » warned dissident Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. « This is the price to pay for the people’s victory, » a Tehran resident declared on Saturday.

Pile-up Bodies

The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, who is in exile, said she feared a « massacre under the cover of a total blackout, » as many Western capitals condemned the use of force against « peaceful » demonstrations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed Europe’s full support for « Iranian women and men demanding freedom, » denouncing the « violent repression. »

Since the protests began on December 28, initially linked to the cost of living, at least 51 demonstrators, including nine children, have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to a report released Friday by the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights.

The organization released images that it said showed the bodies of protesters piled up in a Tehran hospital.

The NGO Amnesty International said it was analyzing « worrying elements » that seemed to show an intensification of repression in recent days.