Iran records 116 protests across 22 provinces, reveals report

The Institute for the Study of War ISW a policy research organisation said on Saturday that it recorded 116 protests across 22 provinces in Iran since Thursday 330 pm local timeAt least 20 of these were largescale protests defined as those drawing more than 1000 participants news agency ANI reported citing the reportIn a post on X the Institute said ldquoCritical Threats and ISW have recorded 116 protests across 22 provinces since 330 PM ET on January 8 Twenty of these protests were large protests which CTPISW defines as protests with more than 1000 participants CTPISWrsquos protest data since its last data cutoff likely reflects only part of the protest activity that has taken place in Iran since that time given that the internet shutdown restricts protestersrsquo ability to publish and share videos of the protests Some protesters have reportedly used Starlink to send reports of protests to foreign mediardquoEarlier the Institute said the Iranian regime had sustained a nationwide internet shutdown in an attempt to curb the protests though demonstrations have continued despite the restrictionsIn another post on X the think tank said ldquoThe Iranian regime has sustained its nationwide internet shutdown likely to disrupt protest coordination and obscure the scale of its repression Widespread protest activity has continued to take place across Iran amid the internet shutdownrdquoFurther elaborating on the situation it said ldquoThe protests in Iran may have expanded to such an extent that they are challenging Iranian security forcesrsquo ability to suppress them Protesters damaged regime institutions in multiple cities across Iran on January 8 and 9 The Iranian regime may increasingly rely on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to suppress the protests as local Law Enforcement Command forces reportedly face bandwidth constraintsrdquoIran protests World leaders condemn crackdownProminent Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad sharing videos on X she said were sent to her from Iran via Starlink lauded Elon MuskldquoIt has been over 24 hours now that the dictator of Iran has shut down internet connections for 90 million Iranians Internet access is the lifeline of Iran uprising and by making Starlink services available for Iranian revolutionaries Elon Musk has made a crucial and indispensable contribution to the fight for democracy in Iranrdquo her post statedMeanwhile internet monitoring group NetBlocks highlighted the continued connectivity restrictions saying ldquoItrsquos now 800 am in Iran where the sun is rising after another night of protests met with repression metrics show the nationwide internet blackout remains in place at 36 hours severely limiting Iraniansrsquo ability to check on the safety of friends and loved onesrdquoWorld leaders on Saturday condemned the killing and arrest of protesters as unrest continued across Iran raising concerns over the stability of the administrationIn a joint statement the foreign ministers of Australia Canada and the European Union praised the bravery of Iranian citizens and condemned the reported crackdown by the regimeWith ANI inputs