Iranian security forces responded to the protests with violence. Based in Oslo Human rights in Iran reported that more than 200 protesters have been killed so far, including at least 23 children. Amnesty International said he obtained leaked documents “which revealed the authorities’ plan to systematically crush the protests at all costs”. Iranian officials have also shut down internet access in large areas of the country, and access to social media platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp has been restricted in a bid to thwart the social movement.
But users around the world continue to post under the hashtag #MahsaAmini. The movement has snowballed to include many women, including celebrities, posting videos of themselves cutting their hair in solidarity. Images of Iranian women unveiled in front of security personnel have gone viral. And the United States reacted to the Internet shutdown in Tehran by promising to relax it and “help ensure that the Iranian people are not kept isolated and in the dark.
These anti-government demonstrations are the largest opposition demonstration since November 2019, when more than 1,400 Iranians were killed in bloody protests after the regime raised fuel prices by up to 200%. The official response then seemed much the same: a barrage of violence from security forces, restrictions on social media and news sites, and a complete internet blackout. After several days of brutal repression, the then president, Hassan Rouhani, announced victory against “the enemy”. No real change in the lives of Iranians has been seen, and the rage and frustration that has been simmering since 2019 could help fuel the protests today.
German-Iranian entrepreneur Emitis Pohlwho had to leave Iran alone when she was just 13, is stunned by what is happening in his country of origin. “It was always clear to me that one day there would be a women’s revolution in Iran, and that women would rise up against the injustices they face on a daily basis.” Pohl, who currently lives in Germany, said it is unacceptable that in the 21st century there are still institutions that terrorize women and control their bodies.
As protesters began chanting against the vice squad who detained Amini, they quickly turned their sights higher, calling for “death to the dictator.” — meaning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – and demanding the whole Iranian regime resigns. The government, they argue, is responsible for all the socio-economic challenges facing the Iranian people, such as poverty and unemployment.
Pohl said she finds this argument very logical because these issues have been accumulating for decades, and now they are coming to the surface in ways that those in power cannot ignore. “When something unjustifiable like this happens, it triggers a rage inside people. People will of course take this opportunity to protest against all the other injustices they have faced all their lives.
