Tehran: Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi on Friday issued a stark warning that Iran’s security forces could be preparing to carry out a mass killing of protesters under the cover of a nationwide internet shutdown. Ebadi said the sweeping communications blackout imposed across the country was not accidental but a deliberate strategy to conceal violence.
“The internet shutdown is not a technical failure — it is a tactic,” Ebadi said in a post on her official Telegram account, accusing authorities of intentionally cutting off communications to prevent the world from witnessing what is unfolding on the ground.
The veteran human rights lawyer, who has lived in exile for years due to threats from the Iranian government, said she had received credible information indicating severe injuries among protesters in Tehran. According to Ebadi, hundreds of people were taken to a hospital in the capital on Thursday, many suffering from serious eye injuries caused by pellet gun fire, a weapon often used by security forces to disperse crowds.
Her warning comes amid escalating unrest in Iran, where protests triggered by economic hardship and political repression have evolved into one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic in years. Authorities have repeatedly imposed internet blackouts during periods of unrest, a move widely criticised by human rights groups as an attempt to suppress dissent and limit documentation of abuses.
Ebadi cautioned that the communications blackout could provide cover for large-scale violence, urging the international community to remain vigilant and pressure Tehran to restore internet access and protect civilians.
The Iranian government has not officially responded to Ebadi’s remarks. In the past, officials have denied allegations of excessive force, while state media has portrayed protesters as foreign-backed agitators.