In a report, the non-governmental organization Freedom House announced that Iran had the worst decline in internet freedom worldwide in 2023, with a score of negative five out of 100 on the scale. The report indicates that digital repression in the country has intensified.
According to the report, following the murder of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the “Morality Police,” the Iranian regime experienced the greatest regression in internet freedom evaluation worldwide. This regression was attributed to the internet shutdown, blocking of WhatsApp and Instagram, increased surveillance, and monitoring to suppress anti-government protests.
Furthermore, Iran, along with Myanmar, was identified as a country where authorities have imposed the death penalty for citizens expressing their opinions online. The report also mentioned the execution of two Iranians for blasphemy following the publication of materials on Telegram channels.
The report highlights the cases of Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare, two active social media users who were executed on May 8th on charges of “insulting Islamic sanctities” and insulting the “Prophet of Islam”. Human rights sources emphasized that these individuals were merely criticizing religious superstitions.
The state-run Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the regime’s judiciary, reported the execution of these two individuals, stating that Yousef Mehrdad was arrested in Ardebil and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare was arrested in Yasuj, both after the formation of a case in the Revolutionary Court in Arak in 2020. Yousef Mehrdad was the father of three young children, and Sadrollah Fazeli was the caretaker of his elderly mother.
According to the report, in terms of the decline in internet freedom in 2023, following Iran, the Philippines had a score of negative four, and Belarus, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua each had a score of negative three.
Based on this report, in 55 out of the 70 countries surveyed, individuals faced legal prosecution for expressing their opinions online, and in 41 countries, people were physically attacked or killed for expressing their opinions in the online space.
Furthermore, governments of 41 countries blocked websites that should be allowed to operate under the standards of freedom of expression outlined in international human rights law.
The report concluded that the decline in internet freedom worldwide has continued for the thirteenth consecutive year, with 27 countries experiencing a worsening situation and only 22 countries showing improvement.
In the previous year’s Freedom House report, it was stated that Iran, after China and Myanmar, imposed the most restrictions on the internet.
While Iran’s economy is declining and the lives of a large part of the population is spiraling into poverty, the regime continues to invest vast sums into internet censorship and surveillance. After the 2019 nationwide uprising, the regime spent a huge budget in creating a complex infrastructure for cutting off internet access during protests. At the same time, the regime is trying to replace popular messaging applications with local insecure apps that allow authorities to peer into the communications of users. All of these endeavors are being paid for from the pockets of the Iranian people.
