Why Europe Must Facilitate Internet Access for the Iranian People
The Islamic Republic systematically cuts off internet access to suppress protests and conceal atrocities. Europe has both the means and the moral obligation to help Iranians stay connected.
The Weapon of Disconnection
The Islamic Republic has turned internet shutdowns into a weapon of war against its own people. Every time Iranians rise up to demand their rights, the regime’s first response — before the bullets, before the mass arrests — is to sever their connection to the outside world.
This is not a technical inconvenience. It is a deliberate strategy of information warfare designed to:
- Conceal atrocities: When the world cannot see what is happening, the regime acts with impunity. During the November 2019 uprising, a near-total internet blackout lasted over a week — during which security forces killed over 1,500 people. During the January 2026 massacre, the regime cut off all internet access for two days while carrying out a crackdown that resulted in over 36,000 casualties. The shutdown was the shield behind which these killings took place.
- Prevent coordination: Protesters rely on messaging apps and social media to organize demonstrations, share safety information, and coordinate nonviolent actions. Cutting the internet fragments the movement and isolates communities from each other.
- Control the narrative: Without independent communication channels, the regime monopolizes information. State media broadcasts propaganda while citizens are unable to share their reality with the world.
What Europe Can Do
European governments and institutions are not powerless in the face of the regime’s digital authoritarianism. There are concrete, actionable steps that can be taken:
1. Fund and Deploy Anti-Censorship Technologies
The EU should significantly increase funding for satellite internet services, VPN infrastructure, and mesh networking technologies designed specifically for use in authoritarian environments. Projects like satellite-based internet constellations have demonstrated the ability to provide connectivity that is resistant to state-level shutdowns.
European technology companies developing censorship-circumvention tools should receive dedicated public funding and diplomatic support.
2. Mandate Satellite Internet Access
European governments should work with satellite internet providers to ensure coverage and accessibility over Iranian territory. This includes negotiating agreements that guarantee service continuity even under political pressure and providing subsidized access for Iranian civil society organizations.
3. Sanction the Enablers
European and international companies that provide the Islamic Republic with surveillance technology, deep packet inspection systems, and internet filtering infrastructure must be identified and sanctioned. No European company should profit from enabling digital repression.
4. Establish a Digital Rights Framework for Iran
The EU should develop a comprehensive policy framework specifically addressing digital rights in Iran, including:
- Regular monitoring and reporting on internet freedom conditions
- Rapid-response mechanisms to deploy connectivity solutions during shutdowns
- Diplomatic pressure integrated into all bilateral and multilateral engagements with the regime
- Support for digital literacy and security training for Iranian activists and journalists
5. Declare Internet Shutdowns a Human Rights Violation
The European Parliament should formally recognize deliberate internet shutdowns as a tool of repression that constitutes a human rights violation. This declaration would provide a legal and diplomatic foundation for all subsequent actions.
The Human Cost of Silence
Every day that Iranian citizens lack free access to information, people die in darkness. Journalists cannot report. Families cannot find detained loved ones. Protesters cannot call for help. Evidence of atrocities is lost.
The regime understands this perfectly — which is why the internet is always the first casualty of every crackdown.
Europe has the technological capacity, the economic leverage, and the moral obligation to change this equation. The question is not whether it is possible to help Iranians access free internet — it is whether European leaders have the political will to act.
The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable repression. The least the democratic world can do is ensure they are not forced to fight in the dark.