Iran Restricts Access To Social Media Amid Ongoing Protests - Reports

The Iranian authorities have restricted access to social networks, including Instagram and WhatsApp (the services of Meta, which is banned in Russia as an extremist organization) due to ongoing protests across the country after the death of Mahsa Amini, Iranian media reported on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2022) The Iranian authorities have restricted access to social networks, including Instagram and WhatsApp (the services of Meta, which is banned in Russia as an extremist organization) due to ongoing protests across the country after the death of Mahsa Amini, Iranian media reported on Thursday.

Access to the social networks was limited on Wednesday evening, Iranian news agency Fars reported, adding that it is unknown how long the ban will last.

According to the news agency, protest are fueled by special revolutionary groups seeking to turn the citizens against the Iranian authorities and cause damage to the national security.

On September 13,Mahsa Amini was detained by Iran's so-called morality police in Tehran for wearing an "improper" hijab, an offense punishable by prison.

The woman was sent to one of the centers belonging to the police department and military intelligence for an explanatory conversation. In the center, Amini had a heart attack, after which she was immediately taken to a nearby hospital. Three days later, the young woman passed away.

Many Iranian citizens accused the morality police of Amini's death, suggesting that law enforcement officers had beaten her on the head. People in different cities of the country launched a series of mass protests. Moreover, some Iranian women published videos on social media that showed them cutting their hair, as well as burning hijabs and rusari kerchiefs, which they are obliged to wear on their heads.

On September 17, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered a special investigation into the case and expressed condolences to Amini's family.