Protests are currently taking place in numerous Iranian cities. Initially sparked by the rising cost of living, the demonstrations soon became a reflection of the growing dissatisfaction of a growing segment of the population with the political system.
According to activists, more than two thousand people have been arrested during the ongoing protests in Iran. At least 34 demonstrators have been killed in clashes with state authorities since the protests began, the US-based human rights network FOOD reported.
The police and the Basij paramilitary force – volunteer units subordinate to the Revolutionary Guard – are considered forces ready to deploy at any moment to suppress protests.
The Revolutionary Guard is an independent military apparatus directly subordinate to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Its mission is to protect the Islamic Republic. The police and the Revolutionary Guard have decades of experience in suppressing demonstrations.
Since 1999, Iran has repeatedly experienced large, mostly peaceful protest movements, which in the past have regularly been violently suppressed.
Student protests in July 1999
The reason was the closure of the reformist-oriented newspaper Salam, against which students in Tehran initially peacefully protested.
On the night of July 8, security forces raided a student dormitory, killing at least one student. The operation sparked national protests that lasted for several days.
The Basij paramilitary force violently cracked down on the protesters. At least four more people were killed, some students disappeared without a trace, and between 1.200 and 1.400 people were arrested.
"Green Movement" 2009
Following the disputed presidential election, mass protests, known as the Green Movement, broke out across the country.
Millions of Iranians questioned the official election results and accused the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of electoral fraud. Green was the campaign color of his opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Initially peaceful demonstrations developed into the largest protests since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Security forces, the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij, used overwhelming force against the demonstrators. Scores of people were killed or wounded, and thousands were arrested.
Fuel price increase in 2019
National protests rocked Iran again in November 2019. The trigger was a drastic increase in fuel prices overnight.
The demonstrations, which quickly spread to more than twenty cities, began peacefully but were quickly brutally suppressed. Along with economic demands, political slogans were increasingly heard, including direct calls for the overthrow of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Security forces responded with extraordinary force. These events entered the country's recent history as "Bloody November."
"Woman, Life, Freedom" in 2022
The death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Cina Mahsa Amini has sparked fresh protests across the country. She died in police custody after being arrested by the "morality police" for allegedly violating headscarf regulations.
What began as a protest against police brutality and the mandatory wearing of the hijab quickly expanded into a broad protest movement against the political system as a whole.
Under the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom," many young people participated in the demonstrations, as did women who did not wear the mandatory hijab. The government responded with repression: security forces used live ammunition against the demonstrators, thousands were arrested, and numerous people were killed.
Dozens of young protesters were sentenced to death in a summary trial. The protests lasted for months and represented one of the biggest challenges for the Islamic Republic in decades.
What these protest movements have in common is a deep dissatisfaction with the Islamic Republic among growing sections of the population. Demonstrators accuse the political leadership of lacking both the will and the ability to address society's demands.
Instead, the state relies on repressive measures such as targeted attacks and demonization of any opposition that has the potential to unite and mobilize people.
Due to a lack of coordination and leadership, protests have been brutally suppressed on several occasions. Numerous political activists have been either imprisoned or forced to leave the country.
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