The President Ebrahim Raisi-led Iranian government has restricted internet access in parts of the country amid growing protests.

Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who succumbed to injuries inflicted on her by the Iranian morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf loosely, protests have swept through parts of the country.

Reacting, riot police went after protesters, inflicted injuries, made arrests and had a hand in the death of over 41 protesters.

An internet observatory study by Netblocks revealed that there had been restrictions on internet service and social media platforms since Monday, September 19. Amini died on September 16.

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According to Netblocks, there was “a near-total disruption to internet service in parts of Kurdistan province in west Iran from the evening of Monday 19 September 2022”.

“The regional telecommunications blackout in and around Sanandaj follows a partial disruption to internet service in Tehran and other parts of the country on Friday when protests first broke out. Instagram and WhatsApp, two of the last remaining international platforms in Iran, have subsequently been restricted nationally as of Wednesday 21 September, followed by a nation-scale shutdown of mobile networks,” Netblocks said.

“Despite temporary restorations of mobile internet service since Thursday morning, online platforms have remained restricted and connectivity is intermittent for many users. Mobile internet was disrupted for a third day on Friday.

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“The incidents come amid widening protests against the government after the death of Mahsa Amini from Saqqez in Kurdistan province after her arrest by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict hijab headscarf rules.”

On Sunday, Raisi justified the police clampdown on protesters by referring to the protests as riots.

A state media reported that the president “stressed the necessity to distinguish between protest and disturbing public order and security, and called the events … a riot”.

According to the report, Raisi, on Saturday, spoke to a relative of the Basij paramilitary member killed while taking part in a crackdown in the northeastern city of Mashhad. It quoted the president as saying that Iran must “deal decisively with those who oppose the country’s security and tranquillity”.