As protests continue across Iran, with people chanting slogans like “death to the dictator,” state media warn about another uprising. In recent days Iran’s state media acknowledged some aspects of Iran’s crises, such as the Covid-19 outbreak, poverty, inflation, and now the internet censorship plan.
“Under sanctions, suffering from drought, threatened by the climate change and possible earthquakes, and facing the inflation, how we could address people’s protests,” wrote the state-run Etemad daily on July 30.
“Do you expect people to stand aside and watch when the corruption is institutionalized, and 500 million tomans of bonuses are passed easily, without the relevant official be ashamed, and no one is fired?” Etemad daily wrote.
“Opportunities are dashing, and threats are rapidly approaching us,” Etemad daily warned the regime officials.
In recent days, despite people’s protests and warnings by the regime’s insiders, the mullahs’ parliament approved to vote on the internet censorship plan. The regime falsely believes that by increasing oppressive measures, it could control the restive society.
Yet, state media acknowledged that implementing the internet censorship plan or any other oppressive measure would have the opposite result.
“Undoubtedly, the parliament’s insistence on passing and implementing this plan would impose problems on Iran’s society,” wrote the state-run Jahan-e Sanat daily on Saturday.
Jahan-e Sanat underlines that the “adoption of such a plan, in contrast to the freedom of information and the violation of civil rights,” and while it possibly “increases the security” for the regime in the cyberspace, “leads to insecurity in private spaces.”
“Experts believe that the [adoption of the internet censorship plan] will increase the level of dissatisfaction that now exists in the society. MPs are trying to restrict the Internet as people suffer from the lack of vaccination, continued sanctions, unemployment, inflation, homelessness, and high amounts of rent,” Setar-e Sobh daily wrote on Saturday.
“The closure of users’ online businesses could lead to an army of unemployed, resulting in growing strikes and protests,” Jahan-e Sanat warns.
“In addition to problems such as the terrible and deadly coronavirus nightmare, periodic crises, business closures, growing protests, rampant inflation, unemployment, and eventual instability and anomie of society, Iranian society cannot tolerate a crisis such as the filtering,” Jahan-e Sanat warned regime officials on Saturday.
“This crisis would increase the cost for the system,” Jahan-e Sanat underlined.
Recent protests in Khuzestan, which initially started due to the water shortages, have terrified the regime. Instead of addressing people’s demands, the regime’s security forces opened fire on protesters, killing 12 people. The protests have not only diminished but spread to other countries.
“The question is why you do not think about the growing problems of the people of Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan, retirees, workers, etc., and why you were absent from the protests in Khuzestan,” Setar-e Sobh wrote in this regard.
The regime is in a deadlock. Suppose it does not implement the internet censorship plan. In that case, the information flow exposes the regime’s brutality, people would be able to communicate together, and protests would spread across the country. They could be connected to the organized Resistance movement.
If the regime implements this plan, there would be more intensified protests. In other words, as the state-run Setar-e Sobh warned, the regime officials are “sowing the wind and would reap the whirlwind.”
