Iran imposes death penalty for Starlink use amid 1,000-hour internet blackout

TEHRAN — Iranian authorities have formalized the use of capital punishment for individuals utilizing Starlink satellite internet terminals as a nationwide communications blackout enters its seventh week. According to data from cybersecurity monitor NetBlocks, the state-imposed disruption has now surpassed 1,080 hours of near-total digital isolation, marking the most extensive connectivity shutdown in the country’s history.

The implementation of the death penalty for satellite internet use follows the ratification of a sweeping anti-espionage law by the Guardian Council. Under this legal framework, the possession or operation of unlicensed communication devices is no longer treated solely as a secondary offense. While simple personal use carries a prison sentence of six months to two years, the judiciary has reclassified any use deemed to facilitate "collaboration with hostile states" or "acting against the system" as Mofsed-e-filarz, or "corruption on earth." This charge carries a mandatory death sentence and has historically been used to target political dissidents and activists.

Legal experts note that because Starlink is operated by SpaceX, a United States-based corporation, the Iranian revolutionary courts frequently interpret its use as a de facto link to a hostile foreign power. Furthermore, the new legislation mandates that any individual found importing more than ten devices, or using a single device to transmit footage to international media, faces the highest degree of criminal prosecution without the possibility of parole.

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Starlink is a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation designed to provide high-speed, low-latency internet access to areas where traditional infrastructure is non-existent or compromised. Unlike conventional internet service providers that rely on terrestrial fiber-optic cables and centralized exchange points—infrastructure that the Iranian government physically controls and filters—Starlink utilizes a network of thousands of small satellites. These units communicate directly with user terminals on the ground and relay data via inter-satellite laser links to ground stations located in neighboring jurisdictions. This architecture makes the service virtually immune to domestic filtering and the "kill switches" typically employed by the state-run Telecommunication Company of Iran.

Starlink remains one of the few avenues for activists to upload evidence of security force conduct to the international community. This capability is precisely what the state aims to neutralize through its new capital sentencing guidelines.

For the estimated 90 million citizens currently offline, Starlink has transitioned from a niche technological luxury to a vital tool for economic survival and human rights documentation. The ongoing blackout, which began following military escalations in early 2026, has effectively severed the population from the global economy. Small businesses and financial entities have increasingly turned to smuggled satellite terminals to bypass the "National Information Network," a government-controlled intranet that restricts access to a "white-list" of approved officials and state-sponsored influencers.

Beyond commerce, the importance of satellite connectivity is primarily rooted in the documentation of domestic unrest. With traditional mobile networks and VPNs rendered inoperable, Starlink remains one of the few remaining avenues for activists to upload evidence of security force conduct to the international community. This capability is precisely what the state aims to neutralize through its new capital sentencing guidelines.

To enforce these measures, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed specialized units equipped with military-grade mobile jammers in densely populated urban centers such as Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz. Additionally, authorities have begun utilizing surveillance drones to patrol residential areas and identify the distinctive rectangular satellite dishes on rooftops. Reports from local human rights groups indicate that security forces have also initiated a program of monitoring financial transactions to identify and block bank accounts associated with the purchase or subscription of unauthorized satellite services.

The 1,080-hour milestone of this blackout underscores a policy of absolute digital sovereignty. By equating the use of global internet technology with high treason, the regime has established a legal precedent intended to ensure that any future domestic developments remain shielded from the global gaze.

Source: DPN, News outlets, Staff, AI, April 14, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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