Blocking of SIM Cards Under the Pretext of 'Punishment and Crime Prevention' in Iran

An Iranian newspaper revealed that officials of the Islamic Republic have blocked the mobile phone SIM cards of several journalists and social media activists without prior notice, claiming it is for 'punishment and crime prevention.' The Tehran-based newspaper Shargh, in a report on Wednesday, January 5, referred to this action as 'unwritten punishment' and reported in an interview with one of the individuals affected by this new form of restriction that 'the SIM cards of some journalists and media activists were blocked without any prior notice in recent months.' According to the report, it became clear through follow-ups that the blocking of SIM cards was done 'by the order of intelligence agencies,' and although some of them had their SIM cards 'released after giving a commitment,' others remain blocked. One individual facing this new restriction stated that 'at the end of Shahrivar (September), I suddenly faced a complete cut-off of my SIM card,' and told Shargh that 'after contacting Hamrah Aval (the mobile operator), I learned that one of the security agencies had acted without prior notice and in coordination with the Tehran Prosecutor's Cyber Space Department.' According to him, the reason given by officials was 'the publication of criminal content,' most of which dated back two years. This journalist also mentioned that during 'that period,' he was detained by the Ministry of Intelligence for two months under the pretext of 'further investigation' regarding the content he had published on social media, but 'that case was also closed.' He also pointed out the 'doubts regarding the legality or illegality of this action,' stating that 'about a month later, I was summoned to the relevant agency for interrogation.' The Shargh newspaper also emphasized, citing lawyer Mohammad Hadi Jafarpoor, that 'such punishment is not specified in the law.' Pressure on journalists and citizens expressing their opinions on social media has been consistently increasing by the Islamic Republic's institutions in Iran. For instance, following the escalation of disputes between Israel and the Islamic Republic and its proxy forces in the region, and the reactions of Iranian users on social media regarding this issue, the IRGC's intelligence organization issued a statement criminalizing users' comments as 'support for Israel' on social media. These restrictions are not limited to journalists and social media activists; other groups, including lawyers, are also targeted. For example, Khosro Alikordi, a lawyer, faced charges such as 'spreading falsehoods through computer systems and failing to maintain secrets' after informing about his clients' cases, resulting in fabricated cases and imprisonment. Additionally, reactions to the 'class internet' and claims of lifting filters indicate that Iran needs to be 'freed from clerics.' The United States has warned its citizens not to travel to dangerous countries, including Iran. Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American journalist, was sentenced to ten years in prison. Reactions to the shift to online universities have been described as 'soft martial law.'