Cutting Off SIM Cards of Several Journalists and Political Activists in Iran as 'Punishment'

The newspaper Shargh reported on the cutting off and blocking of SIM cards of several journalists and political activists by 'certain institutions' in Iran as a form of 'punishment for virtual activity.' According to Shargh, these individuals have a history of arrest or political activity. In the exclusive report published on Thursday, September 20, titled 'Punishment by Blocking SIM Cards,' the true identities of these individuals were not disclosed, and their statements were published under pseudonyms. It seems that these journalists and activists did not want their names revealed out of fear of potential legal repercussions. Payam Darvishan, a lawyer specializing in human rights cases, stated that such restrictions have existed in similar cases before. He noted, 'According to existing procedures, we sometimes witness that even before a judicial case is formed, based on a series of general typing orders, some judicial authorities give general powers and orders to agents to summon individuals by phone, and in case of non-compliance, they first block the individual's bank accounts and then proceed to block their telecommunications SIM cards.' This lawyer criticized the punishment of political activists and journalists by blocking their bank accounts and SIM cards, stating, 'The pressure on journalists in Iran has increased several times last month.' He added, 'Blocking a SIM card leads to a widespread violation of civil rights and even fundamental rights such as the right to life and healthcare.' In the report by Shargh, a former journalist who has been arrested several times reported the sudden cutting off of his SIM card and said that after following up, he was told that his political content published on social media was the reason, and he was informed, 'You will probably be contacted, and an obligation will be placed on you, but the timing of this meeting is not clear and may take up to a month.' Another journalist using the pseudonym Sepideh, who faced SIM card disconnection in June due to publishing political content on X (formerly Twitter), told the newspaper, 'I received a call from a private number, but I did not answer. As a result, one of the members of the house contacted me and said to tell your daughter not to write anything, and we are aware of the country's problems. After that, I did not write anything in social media until June when one day while using my phone, my internet and signal were completely cut off.' According to her, after following up, she was told, 'The cut was severe from above... They said I had to delete a series of political posts and photos of myself without a hijab. Then they placed a commitment document in front of me, and I signed it. The next day my line was reconnected, but overall my line was completely inactive for about three weeks.' Shahla Orooji, a lawyer and member of the Bar Association, reacted to these restrictions by stating that 'judicial agents do not have the right to punish; in fact, such punishment is not anticipated in our laws and cannot even be applied as supplementary or secondary punishment, and this action is a deprivation of rights and against the law.'