On Sept. 16th a young Kurdish Iranian woman died in a Tehran hospital

September 25, 2022 1:46 PM

The death of Mahsa Amini [Wikipedia article] after being held in custody by the Iranian morality police has led to a wave of protests in Iran that have spread around the country. The Iranian government has cracked down hard, with at least dozens dead [archive], and taken steps to limit internet access in Iran. The morality police, or Gasht-e-Ershad, and the laws they enforce have been the target of the protesters' ire, though the government as a whole is feeling under threat. Meanwhile, protests continue, documented in videos that circulate online.
posted by Kattullus (48 comments total)

Fingers crossed the many martyrs will not be in vain this time. Looking forward to a free and democratic Iran with full human rights for all.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:14 PM on September 25, 2022 [24 favorites]

It looks like we’ll either see the regime fall or an Iranian Tienanmen.
posted by acb at 2:14 PM on September 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

an Iranian Tienanmen

For those unaware, there was a similar^* uprising a decade ago, which was crushed ruthlessly: the Iranian Green Movement. The bravery of the Iranian people who have full knowledge of how brutally the regime will attempt to destroy this challenge is incredible. Of course, there is an example of a popular uprising in Iran succeeding as well.

^*From what I've been able to gather, this time, the protests are more diverse, both geographically and socioeconomically. Maybe it will be the difference?
posted by gwint at 3:18 PM on September 25, 2022 [27 favorites]

I've worked closely with an Iranian man in Canada over the last five years. He's very excited about this, feeling this is the tipping point when the religious gov't might fall.
posted by fatbird at 3:23 PM on September 25, 2022 [8 favorites]

The reason the Wikipedia article on her death says also known as Jina Amini or Zhina Amini is that Iran does not allow Kurds (and other ethnic minorities) to have names that are insufficiently "Islamic".

Her name was Jina.
posted by Etrigan at 3:42 PM on September 25, 2022 [35 favorites]

Such brave, brave people.
posted by doctornemo at 5:02 PM on September 25, 2022 [7 favorites]

Just saw videos of stockpiled Molotov cocktails by an intersection in Teheran.

And a message from older residents who are joining in because they feel that at this point victory for the protesters would be the less bloody outcome.

Godspeed to them.
posted by ocschwar at 5:48 PM on September 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

They're brave people, much braver than I am. I'm awed at the boldness they show in opposing their government and its assorted evils.

This won't end without bloodshed, I hope enough of the military mutinies and joins with the protesters to let them win. If I prayed, I'd be praying.
posted by sotonohito at 6:31 PM on September 25, 2022 [5 favorites]

In my optimistic moods, I hope humanity learns to stop doing theocracy.
posted by doctornemo at 6:50 PM on September 25, 2022 [15 favorites]

The 23rd: Secretary Antony Blinken on Twitter

We took action today to advance Internet freedom and the free flow of information for the Iranian people, issuing a General License to provide them greater access to digital communications to counter the Iranian government’s censorship.

This morning: Iran International English on Twitter

#BREAKING @SpaceXStarlink [SIC] chief @elonmusk has told @ksadjadpour that "Starlink is now activated in Iran. It requires the use of terminals in-country, which I suspect the [Iranian] government will not support, but if anyone can get terminals into Iran, they will work."

#KeepItOn

posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:07 PM on September 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Some of the protests are taking place in Iran's universities.
posted by doctornemo at 7:58 PM on September 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

A sobering thought from @hdagres (Iranian-American senior fellow at the Atlantic Council): "Countries like Iraq and Syria were training grounds on how to crush dissent. The Islamic Republic will fight tooth and nail to stay in power and have no trouble killing masses of Iranians because its upper echelons don’t have anywhere to flee." On a potentially more positive note, her thread on the "Iranian Generation Z":

I’ve been researching Iranian Generation Z (Gen Z) for almost a year now.

Known as the 1380s generation in the Iranian calendar, Iranian Zoomers are frustrated/angry with the status quo and aren't afraid to say it online and push outside the red lines of the IRI.
It’s no surprise that the nationwide protests prompted by #MahsaAmini’s murder are led by this generation.
Iranian Gen Z have grown up with satellite dishes and (heavily filtered) social media and Internet at their fingertips, which they use circumvention tools to bypass.
Iranian Zoomers, like Gen Z everywhere, are digital natives and are part of this truly globalized generation.
Thanks to information and communications technology, they're able to see how the rest of the world lives and naturally, have the same wants and needs.
As Iranian Gen Z spends a lot of time online, they see the injustices and double standards in their society and their wasted potential.
Many Iranian Zoomers feel disconnected to the geriatric clerical establishment and don’t have anything in common with them.
Iranian Gen Z were only children when the 2009 post-election protests known as the Green Movement took place.
They were mostly teenagers during the November 2019 protests in which security forces arrested and killed thousands.
Now that they're almost grown up, Iranian Gen Z is taking control of their future in a way their parents haven't been able to.
They're leading the protests in-person and online, saying very loud and clear that they no longer want an Islamic Republic.

posted by gwint at 8:02 PM on September 25, 2022 [22 favorites]

Some are asking whether Iran's uprising is against religion
It's not. It's a rebellion for freedom and against tyranny
For 40 years, the state has used religion to repress. It has killed and tortured in God's name
It is Iran's government that has done the most to profane Islam
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:33 PM on September 25, 2022 [18 favorites]

@setareh_june Sep 24, 2022
If the west intervenes, we’ll be back to square one. The one thing the west can do is lift sanctions to allow people to live & fight. The stolen revolution has to be realized by people inside Iran not by powers from the outside. And I believe in them with all my heart.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:35 PM on September 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

Reading a little context on Iran's "blue generation," many of whom are too young to really remember the Green Revolution (line breaks and emphasis added):

The melancholy songs of Pashaei represent the gloomy mood of a generation that feels it has got the blues. This “blue generation” feels cheated by a corrupt autocracy and has little faith in existing political ideologies. The main distinguishing feature of their political sensibility is the lack of any form of emotional attachment or sense of belonging to the political institutions or culture of post-revolutionary Iran.

The blue generation inscribes itself in the short temporality of the last ten to fifteen years, therefore its experience of post revolutionary Iran has been of rampant corruption, lack of social freedoms, government inefficiency, religious tyranny, and curtailment of basic individual rights. They have little evidence or experience of the spirituality, public morality, sacrifice, social justice, or even national sovereignty that was part of the public culture of the early years of the Islamic Revolution, the post-revolutionary period of state and national redevelopment, or the initial reform period.

This generation perceives a government that cancels music events, enforces dress codes, criminalizes relationships between young men and women, and bans cultural and recreational activities. They identify the state as dysfunctional, corrupt, and incapable of running the country. This image is reinforced by daily news about water shortages, environmental degradation, pollution, and other social ills including addiction, child homelessness, street violence, and deteriorating public services.

The young men and women who are now taking to the streets in small and large cities have grown tired of a government that shows more concerns with what they wear than with providing economic opportunities or respecting basic freedoms and rights.

posted by spamandkimchi at 8:40 PM on September 25, 2022 [9 favorites]

How can we support these people?

It's so hard to see their brave and desperate actions and not be able to do anything.

I'm so scared that in a few days the world's attention will move on to the next thing and these people will be crushed.
posted by Zumbador at 9:35 PM on September 25, 2022 [8 favorites]

I am glad to see this post, though sad for the reason why it’s a post. I learned a lot about Iran when I did a literature unit with my students on the graphic novel Persepolis. The students chose to do a wide variety of topics for their research papers and presentations and I still think about some of the things I learned about the country and its history when I read about Iran in the news. I have hope for the Gen Z/blue generation and I hope they see some changes soon resulting from their very brave activism.

Solidarity, and for Jina:

.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:56 PM on September 25, 2022 [8 favorites]

One way to support -- Run a Signal Proxy for Iran.
posted by yueliang at 11:40 PM on September 25, 2022 [7 favorites]

Best of luck to them all!

Iran gets a fair bit of exposure in Norwegian media these days, probably helped by the fact that the president of our Storting (parliament) is born in Iran. His comments on Twitter has annoyed the Iranian authorities, and our ambassador was called in for a dressing-down.
posted by Harald74 at 12:27 AM on September 26, 2022 [2 favorites]

At least 41 people killed in weeklong demonstrations in Iran

"At least 41 people killed in weeklong demonstrations in Iran
There are fears of a bloody and violent crackdown in Iran with anti-government protests now erupting in nearly all of the country's 31 provinces. The protests broke out after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody who was detained for wearing a head scarf too loosely."
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 1:30 AM on September 26, 2022 [4 favorites]

Thanks for that link, gwint. Thinking about the Iranian Gen Z kids and...oof, oof. I love them all desperately and hope they make it through alive.

Jina, I hope you are at peace.

.
posted by lazaruslong at 1:32 AM on September 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

The protests are continuing despite intense crackdowns. The latest example of how much this has caught the imagination of Iranians is that Sardar Asmoun, a member of Iran national football team, has spoken out in support of the protesters, at the risk of not going to the World Cup.
posted by Kattullus at 12:17 PM on September 26, 2022 [2 favorites]

Good on him, hope more men follow his example.

The ultimate [punishment] is to be kicked out of the national team, which is a small price to pay for even a single strand of Iranian women's hair. Shame on you for easily killing the people and viva women of Iran.

posted by lazaruslong at 12:25 PM on September 26, 2022 [5 favorites]

It's a little over a decade since I went to Iran but at that point it was obvious that younger people were a lot less religious than older folk. Smartphones were not pervasive then but internet access was and everyone was familiar with western culture and media. Plenty of people openly told me they hated the government and particularly Ahmadinejad.

I don't know any better than anyone else how things will play out now. I feel a mix of hope and dread.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:17 PM on September 26, 2022 [3 favorites]

I'm so worried for these brave protesters. I hope they succeed, and can start a new era in Iran's history.
posted by harriet vane at 4:07 AM on September 27, 2022 [3 favorites]

I was thinking yesterday that the Shah also brutally cracked down on protestors, and it worked, until it didn't.

I hope Iran's religious extremis leadership is ousted as the Shah was, and that unlike the Shah, something better takes its place.
posted by Gelatin at 4:19 AM on September 27, 2022 [5 favorites]

Interview about the protests with Iranian anarchists
posted by eviemath at 6:15 AM on September 27, 2022 [4 favorites]

The volume of English-language coverage of the protests seems to have decreased in the last couple of days. The Wikipedia page about the protests has short daily summaries in its timeline section.
posted by Kattullus at 12:17 AM on September 28, 2022 [3 favorites]

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW, often cited in the Ukraine thread) has started covering Iran and here's the first entry:

Circumstantial evidence suggests that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is at least temporarily unable to perform his normal duties.[...] There are indications that Khamenei is ill or incapacitated, however. Regime power centers are behaving as if succession is either imminent or underway.

posted by meowzilla at 8:59 PM on September 28, 2022 [3 favorites]

Iran Arrests 20 Journalists
A wired article from a week back about the Internet crackdown. and Al Jazeera about what we know 11 days into the protests..
Iran has now launched an airstrike against a Kurdish group in northern Iraq.
posted by adamvasco at 7:55 AM on September 29, 2022 [3 favorites]

Former Iranian President’s Daughter Arrested For Supporting Protests Triggered By Death Of Woman In Custody Over Hijab.
Just days after expressing support for the protests in Iran, Faezeh Hashemi, the outspoken daughter of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was arrested in the Iranian capital on unknown charges.
posted by adamvasco at 1:23 PM on September 29, 2022 [5 favorites]

Zoha Qamar of FiveThirtyEight goes over some recent polling in Iran. Excerpt:

Protests in Iran have been raging on for nearly two weeks because 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the “morality police” after she allegedly failed to comply with the nation’s veiling laws. The protests that began on the streets of Saqqez, her hometown, have now spread to roughly 80 cities across the nation, as Iranian women lead demonstrations in defiance of a law that mandates they cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes while in public. At least 76 people have died, although the toll is likely higher as internet restrictions have made information harder to confirm.

Amini’s death may have sparked this recent uprising, but data shows Iranian opposition toward required veiling isn’t new. The Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran, a Netherlands-based research foundation, conducted a comprehensive study in 2020 on Iranians’ opinions about religion and found that a whopping 72 percent of literate Iranians over age 19 disagreed with the government mandating that women wear the hijab in public, compared with only 15 percent who agreed with it. Over the years, those who have subverted the law have faced violent beatings and, in the case of Amini, fatal consequences at the hands of the government.

posted by Kattullus at 4:55 AM on September 30, 2022 [3 favorites]

The crackdown this weekend has been truly horrendous. 41 protesters, at least, were killed in the eastern city of Zahedan, which brings the total number of deaths up to 133.

‘Women are in charge. They are leading’: Iran protests continue despite crackdowns by Emma Graham-Harrison and Akhtar Mohammad Makoii for the Observer is a good overview article. Excerpt:

One photograph that has gone viral shows a young woman, standing by the grave of her mother, killed in the protests. Her head is shaven and uncovered, and in her hand she holds locks of flowing hair, cut off in mourning and opposition.

Women have led the protests, with their bodies on the streets and behind the scenes. “I was a little bit scared at first but when I saw that many women on the streets it gave me the courage to continue,” said Negar, a veteran of other protest movements who is in her 40s.

“Much of the time the men are just watching. Women organise and do everything. It’s completely different from previous times. Women are in charge. They are leading.” Security forces’ response has included tearing down a statue of Iranian football legend Ali Karimi after he used his social media to support the protests and share practical tips on avoiding internet controls. Protesters responded by spraying his name on the empty plinth.

On Saturday university students defied orders to return to their classrooms. At the University of Tehran they chanted “Justice, freedom, optional hijab”, before security forces clashed with them.

At Isfahan university a video shared on social media apparently showed a woman setting her headscarf on fire, and in Mashhad crowds chanted “students will die but we will not accept humiliation.”

posted by Kattullus at 7:31 AM on October 2, 2022 [4 favorites]

Because of internet restrictions imposed by the regime, news appears to be slow coming out of Iran, but there are many reports that some kind of violence towards students has taken place at Sharif University.

(By way of adding context: Sharif University is located in Tehran and is Iran's foremost educational institution for science and technology.)
posted by Nerd of the North at 10:34 PM on October 2, 2022 [5 favorites]

At long last, some actual US news coverage from the NYT. It’s upsetting how little it’s being covered in the USA.

I’ve also noticed that people bring up the Shah and whatever he did- please note that was 40 years ago, something like 2/3 of Iranians were born after the revolution, and he is completely irrelevant to the current conversation, despite the focus on it by diaspora Iranians- and the current regime, who still uses it to discredit protest.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 8:19 AM on October 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

Iran schoolgirls remove hijabs in protests against government by David Gritten for the BBC. Excerpt:

Further protests by schoolgirls were reported on Tuesday in Karaj, Tehran and the north-western cities of Saqez and Sanandaj.

A number of students were also photographed standing in their classrooms with their heads uncovered.

Some were raising their middle fingers - an obscene gesture - at portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The courage of those girls is almost beyond belief. Some also confronted officials sent to their schools.

The BBC article also includes analysis by BBC Persian’s Rana Rahimpour.

Here are a couple of links to videos in the article.
posted by Kattullus at 11:38 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

Protests are still going strong, but as there are no western reporters in Iran, it's been difficult to get any kind of sense of what's going on. Nevertheless, Reuters' Dubai bureau has an article on recent developments, Female students chant ‘get lost’ at Iranian president on campus. Excerpt:

Female students in Tehran have chanted “get lost”, according to activists, as the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, visited their university campus on Saturday and condemned protesters enraged by the death of a young woman in custody.

As nationwide demonstrations that have rocked Iran entered a fourth week, Raisi addressed professors and students at Alzahra University in Tehran, reciting a poem that equated “rioters” to flies.

“They imagine they can achieve their evil goals in universities,” state TV reported him saying. “Unbeknownst to them, our students and professors are alert and will not allow the enemy to realise their evil goals.”

A video posted on Twitter by the activist account 1500tasvir showed what it said were female students chanting “Raisi get lost” and “Mullahs get lost” as the president visited their campus.

[Note: I think that I linked to the right video, but I'm not a 100% sure]
posted by Kattullus at 8:32 AM on October 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

While Amini's death has brought widespread outrage and galvanised Iranian society, the impact on the Kurdish minority, the third largest ethnic community in the country after Persians and Azerbaijanis, bears watching.
Teenagers have been Beaten and Protesters Shot.
In Sanandaj, gunshots and explosions were heard. The Kurdish Human Rights Network reports Protestors, prisoners tortured; tight security measures taken.
Iran’s schoolgirls emerge as powerful voices of dissent.
posted by adamvasco at 5:02 AM on October 10, 2022 [3 favorites]

Wikipedia article for Nika Shakarami, the young woman killed by security forces who is mentioned in adamvasco's "Iran’s schoolgirls" link.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 1:34 AM on October 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Short, heartfelt segment by John Oliver, where he praises the teenage girl protesters in Iran (it will probably get taken down soon).
posted by Kattullus at 11:07 AM on October 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Rich and poor are asking for a revolution because each section of society has demands and interests that can only be met with a revolution that overthrows this government.
Iran: Why are we protesting in the streets?
What are people`s demands and protests, and how are they different from those before?
posted by adamvasco at 3:11 AM on October 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Something big appears to be going on, potentially horrific. The notorious Evin Prison, which longtime MeFites might remember as the place hoder was held, is on fire. Prisoners have fled to the roof.
posted by Kattullus at 11:49 AM on October 15, 2022 [3 favorites]

More footage
posted by 1970s Antihero at 3:02 PM on October 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

It seems that most prisoners are safe, but the reporting is still very unclear. The BBC has a report. Excerpt:

However, later some prisoners were able to reach out to their families to tell them that they were safe.

The husband of journalist Niloufar Hamed said she had been able to phone him, and he told her he was fine, but did not know what had happened in the jail. And Iranian-American dual national Siamak Namazi told his lawyer he had been moved to a secure area.

That report has a decent overview of what is known currently.
posted by Kattullus at 3:15 AM on October 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Iran’s Fars news agency – which is affiliated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp – today reported that prisoners attempting escape from Evin Prison yesterday were caught in a minefield that surrounded the facility.
Al Jazeera reports fom Iran State media that at least four people killed and 61 injured after violence and fire . So the bloodbath was probably higher.
posted by adamvasco at 5:48 AM on October 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Climber Elnaz Rekabi disappears After Defying Iran’s Hijab Law at IFSC Asia Comp.
The 33-year-old Iranian’s passport and mobile phone have been confiscated, and her whereabouts are unknown, according to reports.
posted by adamvasco at 7:10 PM on October 17, 2022 [2 favorites]

Iranian schoolgirl ‘beaten to death for refusing to sing’ pro-regime anthem. Excerpt:

According to the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, 16-year-old Asra Panahi died after security forces raided the Shahed girls high school in Ardabil on 13 October and demanded a group of girls sing an anthem that praises Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

When they refused, security forces beat the pupils, leading to a number of girls being taken to hospital and others arrested. On Friday, Panahi reportedly died in hospital of injuries sustained at the school.

Iranian officials denied that its security forces were responsible and, after her death sparked outrage across the country, a man identified as her uncle appeared on state TV channels claiming she had died from a congenital heart condition.

That last detail, that the government has blamed another young woman’s death on a congenital heart condition, would be funny in its brazenness, if it weren’t so sickening.
posted by Kattullus at 11:07 PM on October 18, 2022 [3 favorites]

Iran’s Prosecutor-General, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, while speaking in Kerman this week, threatened the “leaders” of the protest movement in Iran with the death penalty. Over 7,000 Iranians, mostly youth and minority members, have been arrested since the protests broke out in mid-September.
posted by adamvasco at 4:36 AM on October 21, 2022 [1 favorite]