MP: Govt. used unrest as pretext to implement notorious Interment Protection Bill

The Protection Bill was introduced with the aim of protecting the users’ rights in virtual space, but the many opponents argued such a law would deal a heavy blow to businesses and the people’s rights to have access to unrestricted Internet.

MP Moein-eddin Saedi said the restrictions imposed on the Internet following the outbreak of unrest in mid-September run counter to the Constitution, under which “legitimate freedoms of the society should not be threatened under any circumstances, not even security issues.”

He urged President Ebrahim Raisi and the Supreme National Security Council to take swift action and lift the curbs on the Internet now that the political situation in the country has returned to normal following the recent unrest and riots.

“The livelihood of millions of Iranians has been affected by this issue.”

Iran banned Instagram and WhatsApp, two social media apps frequently used by the public, after riots and protests erupted in the country in the aftermath of the death of a young woman in police custody.

Tehran says the apps fueled insecurity in Iran and wants them to have representatives in the country in order for the ban to be lifted.