NetBlocks confirms that the Internet access in Iran has been lowered at least by 50% ahead of December 26, pre-announced Iran Protests. Iran cuts out the Internet in order to freely suppress the protesters.

On Wednesday, December 25, 2019, the Iranian regime shut down mobile internet access to overseas sites in several provinces, a day before the 40^th day of since the protesters were killed all across Iranian cities.

The regime’s ILNA news agency quoted an informed source at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry as saying the shutdown was ordered by “security authorities” and covered the Alborz, Kurdestan and Zanjan provinces in central and western Iran and Fars in the south. The same Ministry announced that more provinces will be affected by the shutdown.

In Iran, people mourn their dead on the 40^th day of their passing in large gatherings.  In the past few days, new protests have been called on social media. The Iranian regime is dreadfully attempting to prevent any memorial ceremonies or gatherings planned for these days and has threatened the families of the victims not to observe these days. The regime’s security forces have been arresting and intimidating the victims’ families.

“The ministry of intelligence is nevertheless terrified of allowing the families to hold any memorials for the victims and has arrested the parents of Pouya Bakhtiari in recent days. The family had been threatened by authorities not to hold any memorial for their slain son.” NCRI reported.

The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo also responded to the arrest of Pouya Bakhtiari’s parents and said: “The U.S. strongly denounces the arrest of Pouya Bakhtiari’s parents and call for their immediate release. It’s time for the international community to stand together with Iranian people and hold the regime accountable.”

The NCRI statement also emphasized that “The massacre of 1500 protesters, torture and killing of prisoners are examples of crimes against humanity and the international community must act to stop it. This bloody regime must be isolated from the community of nations,”

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has called on the United Nations to send an international fact-finding mission to visit the prisons and meet with the detained in Iran without any delay.

In the NCRI statement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced,

1. The regime is torturing supporters of the movement into forced confessions. The victims are being pressured to say they received money from the MEK to set fire to banks, or that the MEK ordered them to fire on innocent protesters.  The prison torturers are demanding the victims repeat lies that the MEK is funded by Israel and Saudi Arabia.
2. Reports indicate that some of the prisoners have already died under torture and others have been forcefully “disappeared” by the regime.
3. There are many young students under 13 years of age among the prisoners.
4. Some prisoners are said to have lost more than 20 kg during the past few weeks due to torture. Torture scars can be seen on their bodies.
5. A few persons freed under excessive bail also have torture scars and they have been threatened with heavy sentences if they say a word about what they saw in the prisons.
6. Prisoners are crammed into tiny cells. In Fashfouyeh prison, about 40 to 50 prisoners are forced to share a 10-12 square meter cell. There is no opportunity for rest or sleep and prisoners are forced to stand most of the time. Each person can only rest for 30 to 60 minutes only.
7. There is no sign of any sanitary necessities or minimum living needs. There are no blankets or pillows. Prisoners use one or two cups in each cell to drink water.