Iran disrupts internet in Tehran after protests by fans of late musician Shajarian

Iranian authorities imposed partial disruptions to the Internet in the capital Tehran following protests by fans of the late Iranian composer and singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian who died on Thursday, cybersecurity NGO Netblocks confirmed in a report.

“Network data from the NetBlocks Internet Observatory confirm disruptions to internet service in Tehran from 7:00 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. UTC) on Thursday 8 October 2020. Metrics show an ongoing fall in regional connectivity that came into place as Iranians took to the streets to commemorate outspoken musician Mohammad Reza Shajarian, who passed away at the age of 80,” Netblocks said in a report.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Confirmed: Internet disrupted in #Tehran from 7:00 p.m. local time (15:30 UTC); real-time network data show regional restrictions in #Iran as thousands take to the streets to commemorate outspoken singer #Shajarian; incident ongoing 📉 #IranProtests

📰 https://t.co/Wrt7FEg2Rv pic.twitter.com/eWxXB2vLTR

— NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) October 8, 2020

Shajarian, 80, died of a heart attack in Tehran’s Jam hospital on Thursday, his son Homayoun announced on Instagram.

Videos posted on social media showed hundreds of fans holding a memorial outside Tehran’s Jam hospital where they began to chant “Death to the Dictator.”

Watch: Fans of the late Iranian composer and singer #MohammadRezaShajarian chant “Death to the dictator” outside #Tehran’s Jam hospital, according to one video being shared on social media.#Iranhttps://t.co/ckAcxYxzRI pic.twitter.com/IotDfXcnq1

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) October 8, 2020

“Iran has faced a series of network disruptions since 2019, with some attributed to external factors, and others to state information controls or targeted internet shutdowns. NetBlocks investigations have helped identify the root causes of these network outages,” the cybersecurity NGO said in its report.

Read more:

Iran protesters chant ‘death to dictator’ after death of renowned musician Shajarian

Renowned Iranian musician, singer Mohammad Shajarian dies of heart attack

Video of Iranian police beating alleged criminals sparks social media outcry