In the Dark and In Danger: Iran’s Internet Shutdown and Wartime Repression

With the longest state-imposed internet shutdown in Iranian history severely restricting the flow of information, and with Western journalists unable to report freely from inside the country, the human angle of this month-long war is mostly absent from policy discussions. What is the current mood among Iranians, and how is their human rights situation being affected by weeks of military operations and intensified regime crackdowns? To what extent are regime authorities using digital repression as a tool of control, and what can Iranians and the international community do to counter such activity during this critical moment in the country’s history? To discuss these questions, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with Mahsa Alimardani, Nazanin Boniadi, and Roya Boroumand, moderated by Libitzky Family Senior Fellow Holly Dagres.

Mahsa Alimardani is the associate director of technology threats and opportunities at the human rights organization WITNESS, where her latest research has documented how AI tools are being weaponized during the Iran war. She also founded the Direct2Cell coalition, which advocates for satellite connectivity to help bypass regime censorship around the world.

Nazanin Boniadi is an Iranian-born human rights advocate, actress, and producer. Her years of award-winning work on behalf of women, youths, and prisoners of conscience have included service as an ambassador for Amnesty International and a board member with the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Roya Boroumand is the cofounder and executive director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran. A scholar with a Ph.D. in the history of international relations and contemporary Iran, she previously worked with the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch.  

The Policy Forum series is made possible through the generosity of the Winkler Lowy Foundation.