Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof Are “Deeply Concerned” For Iranian Citizens Following Internet Shutdown: “History Bears Witness”
As an internet shutdown in Iran cuts off protesters and other citizens from the rest of the world, Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof are calling for intervention from the global community.
In a joint statement shared with Deadline, the Iranian filmmakers expressed their concern for fellow citizens, warning that “history bears witness” to the current state-sanctioned repression of speech that will have “regretful consequences” for the country.
“Experience has shown that resorting to such measures is intended to conceal the violence inflicted during the suppression of protests,” they said in part. “We are deeply concerned for the lives of our fellow citizens, our families, and our colleagues and friends who, under these circumstances, have been left defenseless.”
In response to the sudden depreciation of local currency, protests erupted in the streets across Iran late last month as citizens demonstrated against the Islamic republic, which the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called the work of “vandals” and “saboteurs.”
With an internet blackout already in place, Khamenei has warned that authorities will not back down in the face of demonstrations. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has threatened, “You better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting too.”
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on January 9, 2026. (MAHSA/ Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
As of Friday, at least 50 people have been killed and more than 2,311 have been detained, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.
Read Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof’s full statement below:
“In recent days, following the presence of millions of Iranians in the streets protesting against the Islamic Republic, the government has once again resorted to its most blatant tools of repression.
“On the one hand, the Iranian regime has cut off communication routes inside the country—the internet, mobile phones and landlines—severing people’s ability to communicate with one another; and on the other hand, it has completely blocked all means of contact with the outside world.
“Experience has shown that resorting to such measures is intended to conceal the violence inflicted during the suppression of protests.
“We are deeply concerned for the lives of our fellow citizens, our families, and our colleagues and friends who, under these circumstances, have been left defenseless.
“We call on the international community, human rights organizations and the independent media to immediately find ways to facilitate access to vital information in Iran by enabling communication platforms, and monitor what is happening in Iran.
“History bears witness that silence today will have regretful consequences in the future. Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof”
