Rights organizations and activists say they have joined forces to form the Keep It On coalition to ensure pressure remains on the authorities to stop ongoing human rights violations in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan Province.
In a joint statement signed by various media rights platforms such as Haalvsh and Baloch Activists Campaign, along with organizations including PEN America and United for Iran, as well as Iranian human rights activists such as Shirin Ebadi and Fariba Baluch, the coalition emphasized that Internet shutdowns in the province are being carried out to "cover up human rights violations" in the province and called for an immediate halt to them.
The province, particularly the city of Zahedan, has been the epicenter of protests in Iran for months and has recently experienced Internet shutdowns every Friday coinciding with prayers and subsequent protests.
The statement also refers to "Bloody Friday" in Zahedan, when security forces opened fire on protesters, stating that "the Iranian government has resorted to various measures to suppress the ongoing protests, including causing severe disruptions to mobile data in the province, especially in areas where protests are taking place."
Almost 100 people were killed and hundreds injured by security forces in Zahedan on September 30 amid unrest triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by a local police commander.
The signatories of the statement called on the International Telecommunication Union and its secretary-general to pressure Iran to stop the Internet disruptions.
They also emphasized that they are "seeking further investigation of human rights violations" by the Islamic republic, including attempts to "silence citizens." The people of Sistan-Baluchistan "deserve to express their opinions freely and without fear of retribution," the statement says.
NetBlocks, a network that tracks Internet access worldwide, has frequently reported a "significant disruption" in connectivity in Zahedan.
Anger over Amini's death in police custody on September 16 has prompted thousands of Iranians to take to the streets nationwide to demand more freedoms and women's rights. The widespread unrest represents the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
Her death, which officials blamed on a heart attack, touched off a wave of anti-government protests in cities across the country. The authorities have responded to the unrest with a harsh crackdown that rights groups say has killed more than 500 people, including 71 children.
Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the population in Sistan-Baluchistan Province in southeastern Iran, where Abdolhamid is based, but make up only about 10 percent of the population in Shi'a-dominated Iran overall.