The Government is 'on the Nerves' of the People; An Expert to VOA: The Islamic Republic Fears the Fire Beneath the Ashes of Protests

On Tuesday, after the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic reminded judicial officials of his new concerns regarding the virtual space, the Supreme Council of Cyberspace held a session. In this meeting, the leaders of the system and the present members emphasized the necessity of aligning the seventh development plan of the country with the overarching policies in the cyberspace sector. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, asked the judiciary officials to confront 'activities that disturb the psychological and mental security of the people in both virtual and non-virtual spaces.' He stated, 'It is against the revival of public rights for some individuals to walk on the nerves of the people using virtual or non-virtual spaces, disturb their mental security, and scare them. The judiciary must enter this matter with planning, discipline, and rules.' Additionally, researcher Pouya Azizzadeh told VOA, 'The Islamic Republic is moving towards digital authoritarianism and has acquired newer methods and tools for this purpose.' He added, 'The Islamic Republic intends to restrict foreign internet bandwidth while creating a national information network or national internet, tightening the space for people's connection to the global internet and effectively rendering the use of VPNs useless.' Journalist Amir Kahlahr also told VOA, 'The Islamic Republic and Ali Khamenei fear the fire beneath the ashes of protests and want to prevent society from reigniting by imposing more restrictions in this space.' He further clarified, 'One of Khamenei's main target audiences for limiting the internet is the hesitant supporters of the regime, who do not use satellites but have become seriously doubtful about continuing their support for the Islamic Republic due to access to the internet and social media, which reveals the corruption and oppression in the country.'