Iranian mobile operator ousts chief amid dispute over blackout policy
Iran’s second-largest mobile phone operator removed its chief executive amid a dispute over enforcement of the government’s internet blackout during widespread protests.
Iran’s second-largest mobile phone operator removed its chief executive amid a dispute over enforcement of the government’s internet blackout during widespread protests.
MTN Irancell failed to promptly enforce authorities’ shutdown orders as demonstrations spread, Iranian media reported.
Alireza Rafiei was dismissed after about a year in the job because he “disobeyed orders from security bodies and violated issued regulations under crisis conditions” to restrict internet access during the uprising, IRGC-linked Fars news agency said.
The move could signal “defections at the most senior levels” of the government, Mehdi Saremifar, a science and technology journalist, told Iran International.
The dismissal followed remarks by MP Hamid Rasaei, who criticized what he described as a delay in shutting down the internet during a parliament session on Monday.
Iran cut off communications nationwide on January 8 without warning as calls intensified for anti-government protests across the country.
“While it was clear that riots were about to start and despite a request by the supreme national security council, why was the Internet shut down with delay and at 10:00 pm?” Rasaei said. “If some people had not refused, the losses and casualties would not have reached this level.”
Iran’s authorities have faced sustained criticism from activists, rights groups and some foreign governments for cutting or throttling internet access during protests, a tactic critics say hampers organizing, documentation of abuses and communication with the outside world.
Officials have framed restrictions as necessary for security and public order, while critics say shutdowns isolate communities and heighten risks for protesters during periods of violence and mass arrests.
On Monday, internet monitor NetBlocks said Iran’s nationwide blackout has entered its twelfth day, with national connectivity still at minimal levels.
“In recent days, the filternet has occasionally allowed messages through, suggesting that the regime is testing a more heavily filtered intranet,” NetBlocks added.
