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January 28, 2026 – Iran –
Iran’s ongoing government-imposed near-total internet shutdown, in effect since January 8, 2026, has coincided with a fresh wave of arrests targeting journalists and photographers as authorities intensify their crackdown on nationwide protests and dissent. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Iranian officials to immediately release at least three journalists detained under unclear charges, as independent information continues to trickle out from inside the country.
According to the CPJ, Hassan Abbasi, Artin Ghazanfari, and Hamed Araghi were arrested amid the communications blackout, though details about formal charges, their current locations, and legal proceedings remain unavailable due to the state restrictions on information flows. The organisation emphasised that the detentions appear to exploit the opaque environment created by the shutdown, undermining transparency and press freedom.
In parallel developments documented by independent sources monitoring events inside Iran, at least three photographers have also been reportedly arrested and their camera equipment seized by security forces during the blackout, hampering efforts to document the brutal response to protests. These arrests reflect a wider pattern of repression targeting those seeking to visually record conditions on the ground, including both photojournalists and independent storytellers.
The digital blackout itself, enforced by Iranian authorities, has severely restricted internet access and social media platforms, effectively curtailing citizens’ and journalists’ ability to share real-time accounts of demonstrations, security force actions, and human rights abuses. Independent monitoring groups reported near-total shutdowns in connectivity since early January, a tactic widely viewed by press freedom and rights organisations as an attempt to conceal state violence and suppress independent reporting.
The broader context of these arrests and the internet shutdown is a nationwide protest movement that began in late December 2025 in response to economic hardship, inflation, and demands for political change. Security forces have responded with lethal force and mass detentions, prompting accusations from human rights groups of disproportionate violence.
Press freedom advocates argue that arrests of journalists and photographers in this climate further erode standards of free expression and transparency in Iran, where tight control over information, severe censorship, and punitive actions against media workers have long been documented. The situation highlights the acute risks faced by journalists covering protests and state repression in environments where internet access is restricted, and authorities employ legal and extralegal measures to silence critical voices.
Reference –
Iran: 3 journalists arrested as news trickles out under internet shutdown
