Iran withdraws cyber bill after outcry over free speech
Iran’s government withdrew a controversial internet bill amid mounting public pressure and accusations that it sought to criminalize dissent under the guise of combating false information.
Iran’s government withdrew a controversial internet bill amid mounting public pressure and accusations that it sought to criminalize dissent under the guise of combating false information.
“In line with national cohesion and on the president’s directive, the cabinet today approved the withdrawal of the digital content bill,” government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani announced on X on Wednesday.
The bill, titled “Combating the Dissemination of False Content in Cyberspace,” had sparked fierce backlash since it was submitted to parliament on July 20 by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s cabinet.
It proposed prison terms, bans, and fines for online users. Penalties would be harsher for repeat violations, fake accounts, or posts during “crisis or wartime”.
“This bill is not an obstacle to free speech,” Mohajerani said earlier this month. “Its aim is to address fake and harmful news that damages public trust.”
Critics warned that its vague terms—such as “distorted, misleading, and harmful to public perception"—opened the door for arbitrary prosecutions.
“The bill is not designed to fight lies, but rather to eliminate independent narratives,” journalist Alireza Rajaei wrote last week.
Legal scholar Kambiz Norouzi and Reform Front chair Azar Mansouri both urged Pezeshkian to honor his constitutional commitments to civil liberties.
The proposal came just days after a fragile ceasefire was brokered with Israel. During the 12-day war, widespread internet blackouts across Iran had been attributed to issues of national security.
Over 2,000 citizens were also arrested during and after the war with Israel, accused of spreading false information online.
Though Pezeshkian had campaigned on promises of dialogue and press freedom, reformist figures accused him of enabling the very crackdowns he vowed to resist.
In October, rights watchdog Freedom House ranked Iran as having the world’s third most repressive internet environment and lambasted the Islamic Republic for criminalizing online criticism to boost voter turnout and legitimize its presidential elections.
