Iran partially restores international calls amid mass protests and hundreds killed
Iranian authorities on Tuesday partially eased restrictions on communications, allowing citizens to make international phone calls from mobile phones for the first time in several days. At the same time, access to the Internet and SMS messages remains blocked, and communications have not been fully restored. This was reported by the Associated Press
According to eyewitnesses who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, residents of the country can call abroad, but feedback from outside Iran is still impossible. Text messaging does not work, and internet users have access to a limited number of domestic resources approved by the government, with no access to international sites.
It remains to be seen whether the authorities plan to ease the restrictions further. At the end of last week, Iranian security forces effectively cut off all communication channels inside and outside the country amid mass protests. According to human rights organisations, at least 646 people were killed in the country during several days of bloody suppression of anti-government protests.
The partial restoration of telephone service is seen as a limited step by the authorities, but human rights activists emphasise that the country's information isolation continues and the security and human rights situation remains extremely tense
Iran, protests
