'Activating Starlink', says Elon Musk as anti-hijab protest intensifies in Iran

A day after the Biden administration allowed an exemption to the American tech firms to expand their business in Iran amid violent protests and internet shutdowns, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he has activated his satellite internet service, Starlink for the free flow of information. Notably, the Iranian government has shut down the internet in several areas where violent protests erupted following the "custodial death" of a 22-year-old woman,  Mahsa Amini, for not wearing the hijab properly. According to Iranian state TV, at least 26 protestors and police have been killed in the protests over a weekend, resulting in the government shutting down the internet facility in the country. However, the world leaders condemned the act and asked the Iranian leader to restore the internet for the free flow of information. 

Subsequently, the US administration has asked American companies to look for an alternative saying the move will help counter the government’s surveillance efforts. "It is clear that the Iranian government is afraid of its own people," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "Mahsa Amini is senselessly, tragically dead, and now the government is violently suppressing peaceful protesters rightly angry about her loss," he added. Replying to Blinken, the SpaceX CEO said, "Activating Starlink …"

Amid the nationwide outcry in Iran over the unusual death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of the nation's "morality police", angry protestors tore down posters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, from a municipal building in the northern city of Sari. Several videos on social media platforms show demonstrators chasing away a police car in the city of Qazvin. 

What leads to protests in Iran?

The protests initially erupted in the hometown of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while in the custody of 'moral police' for reportedly not wearing a hijab properly. However, demonstrations have now spread to at least 16 of its 31 provinces with Iranians demanding a broader change of restrictive rules imposed on women. Females across the Islamic Republic Several have protested by removing hijab and chopping off their hair. According to semi-official news agency Fars News, Greater Tehran Police Commander Hossein Rahimi, during a press conference, termed the incident "unfortunate" and said he wished the country would never witness such incidents again. "The incident was unfortunate for us and we wish to never witness such incidents," said Rahimi. Reacting to the allegations of physical torture, Tehran Police Commander said the accusations of harming the woman in custody were false and added the moral police had made all arrangements to save her life. 

Image: AP