The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are warning that the Iranian government is using an ongoing 83-day nationwide internet blackout to hide a severe crackdown on independent media. According to the monitor NetBlocks, the 12-week shutdown is the longest and most severe ever recorded in the country, effectively turning Iran into an information black hole designed to conceal the harassment and arbitrary arrest of local reporters.
The digital blackout has directly targeted the press, making safe and accurate reporting nearly impossible. Local journalists are cut off from secure communications and sources, while international press freedom groups face immense difficulty confirming arrests or documenting abuses. This information vacuum has heightened concerns for journalists and media workers already behind bars, including Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, who remains detained in Tehran‘s Evin Prison with little known about his health or legal status.
The joint statement calls on Iranian authorities to immediately restore full internet access across the country, cease all judicial harassment and arbitrary detentions of media workers, and release all journalists imprisoned for their reporting.
Read the full statement here in English, Persian (فارسی), and French (français).
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
CPJ Staff | Radio Free (2026-05-21T09:00:00+00:00) CPJ, RSF warn Iran using 83-day blackout to hide press crackdown. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/05/21/cpj-rsf-warn-iran-using-83-day-blackout-to-hide-press-crackdown/
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