Iran

Despite repeated government assurances of greater transparency and expanded internet access, Iran’s human rights situation and respect for freedom of expression have continued to deteriorate, with commitments to digital and civic freedoms largely unfulfilled. The Woman, Life, Freedom protests of 2022–2023 marked a turning point in public dissent but were met with violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and intensified surveillance. More recently, renewed nationwide protests driven by economic and social grievances have again been met with an unprecedented state response, including mass killings, widespread detentions, forced confessions, and prolonged internet shutdowns and throttling, underscoring both the persistence of public dissent and the authorities’ reliance on digital repression as a core tool of control. 

Amid further entrenchment of hardline rule and the use of national security narratives to justify repression, the state has expanded its technical capacity to filter, monitor, and disrupt internet access. Activists, journalists, and human rights defenders continue to face harassment, imprisonment, and intimidation, while civil society is pushed into exile or underground. In this context, ARTICLE 19 focuses on monitoring laws, policies, and internet governance practices affecting freedom of expression and access to information, responding to emerging digital threats, and working with a broad network of experts and human rights defenders to document violations and support the exercise of these rights online and offline.