Communications blackout in Iran intensifies anxiety among Canada’s Iranian community
A nationwide internet and phone shutdown in Iran has left many Canadians with family there unable to connect. Reported deaths and mass detentions are deepening concern and prompting rallies here.
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By Torontoer Staff
A sustained communications blackout in Iran and reports of hundreds of deaths and thousands of detentions have heightened anxiety among Canada’s Iranian diaspora. Many families report days without phone or internet contact, while community groups in Canada mobilize rallies and message-transfer networks to reach people inside Iran.
Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based group, said at least 10,681 people had been detained and 544 killed during two weeks of nationwide protests. The Iranian government has released no official casualty figures.
Blackout cuts off contact with relatives
The communications shutdown has made it difficult for many in Canada to confirm the safety of relatives and friends. Calls drop, messages fail to send and routine check-ins have become impossible for some families.
We don’t know what’s going on there any more. It’s complete darkness in Iran now. I have lots of family there. When I call, the line just goes silent.
Rafat Mirlohi, Toronto resident
Other community members say the outage is the worst they have experienced. Nagol Momeni, who lives in the Toronto area, said attempts to reconnect through weak landlines that worked during past blackouts have failed this time.
We’ve had other blackouts, but this is the worst ever. We’ve always been able to establish a weak land-line connection. This time, it’s zero. I’m stressed and frustrated and can’t sleep.
Nagol Momeni, Toronto-area resident
Community networks and rallies in Canada
Iranian-Canadian groups in several provinces have organised vigils and demonstrations to draw attention to the crisis and to press for international action. In Toronto, a convoy of semi-trucks flew Iran’s pre-revolution sun-and-lion flag and sounded air horns as it drove down Yonge Street, part of a broader wave of solidarity actions across the country.
Community leaders are also acting as informal message relays. Kei Esmaeilpour, president of the Civic Association of Iranian Canadians, said he has been transferring messages between people in Iran and contacts abroad.
Part of what I’m doing these days is transferring messages. The message from them is: 'Let the international community know. Ask them to help us.'
Kei Esmaeilpour, Civic Association of Iranian Canadians
Groups providing support say they are coordinating calls, legal advice and public events while urging governments to raise the issue in diplomatic channels.
Roots of the unrest and public reaction
The protests began amid long-standing economic grievances that have worsened under sanctions and domestic mismanagement. Unemployment and rising food prices have pushed new segments of society into the streets, organisers say, expanding participation beyond usual protest constituencies.
Kei Esmaeilpour described the economic pressure on ordinary families. He said his brothers, both engineers, struggle to find work and that many households cannot afford basic food items.
This is the situation over there. But this is the main question right now: What are people looking for? They’re looking for life.
Kei Esmaeilpour
Images and videos circulating internationally show violent clashes and civilian casualties. That footage has amplified calls for accountability among diaspora organisations and human-rights advocates in Canada.
Voices from the diaspora
Some community members express fear and grief. Others say they feel a renewed sense of possibility for political change. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, a human-rights advocate living in Nova Scotia, described mixed emotions as she follows events.
It’s horrific. My stomach turns, and of course I’m afraid for our brothers and sisters back home in Iran, but my heart’s energy overtakes that, and I have a feeling of hope and excitement for what’s to come.
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, human-rights advocate
For older diaspora members the images revive memories of the 1978-79 revolution. Fakhreddin Jamali, co-founder of the Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton, said internet outages interrupted his regular calls with sisters and left the family unable to check on each other.
International tensions and reported casualties
The situation has drawn international attention. Iran warned the United States and Israel against strikes after U.S. officials publicly discussed protecting protesters. Reuters reported the exchange, while the Iranian government has not published casualty counts.
- Human Rights Activists News Agency: at least 10,681 detained, 544 killed
- Iranian government: no official casualty figures released
- Canada-based groups: organising rallies, message relays and legal support
Local advocacy groups in Canada are calling on federal officials to raise the blackout and alleged human-rights abuses in diplomatic discussions and at international forums.
For many in Canada with family in Iran, the next days will be defined by attempts to reconnect and ongoing uncertainty. Community organisations say they will continue to document reports from inside Iran, support affected families and press for international attention to the human-rights situation.
IranProtestsDiasporaCommunications blackoutHuman rights
