'Hello, fellow prisoners' Anger and grief as the internet flickers back

After 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life.

- Deepa Parent

The first reactions, however, were not celebratory. Many new posts were threaded with scepticism, anxiety and anger.

Ellie*, 42, an artist from Tehran, was able to connect for the first time since 28 February. “I lit a cigarette, played SoundCloud and listened to our favourite music,” she said. “Ali [her husband] and I held back tears, then cried and convinced ourselves that this was a small taste of a much greater freedom after the fall of this regime ... and we truly believe it.”

The part-restoration hit global headlines, with many regime supporters applauding the government. Maryam*, a photographer in Tehran, said it was “nauseating to watch the celebrations and applause”.

“What an absolute joke,” she said. “It’s been truly absurd watching western media celebrate partial restoration as if it’s an achievement to applaud the regime for. The internet is our basic right.”