Iran Protests 2022-Explained
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomenei, characterized the widespread Iran protests as “riots” and a “hybrid war”. He said it is brought on by foreign governments and international dissidents. According to The Guardian, the protests posed the strongest danger to the regime since the Islamic revolution in 1979.
Background
Iranian women have been mandated by law to entirely cover their hair in public since shortly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. This law’s enforcement was relaxed during President Rouhani‘s 2013–2021 administration, but under President Ebrahim Raisi, it escalated. Iranian Kurdish lady Mahsa Amini, 22, was detained by the Guidance Patrol on September 14, 2022, for wearing an “improper hijab.” She said that the cops assaulted her and gave her a fatal head wound. On September 16, Amini was declared deceased.
Also read: Mahsa Amini Death: Did She Commit Suicide or Murder?
Protests
From Saqqez, Mahsa Amini’s hometown, the protests swiftly expanded to other Kurdistan as well as to other Iranian provinces. The government’s use of tear gas and gunshot to intervene in the protests resulted in at least 378 deaths as of 19 November 2022, according to the nonprofit group Iran Human Rights. These protests are the worst since the 2019–2020 unrest that left more than 1,500 people dead.
Timeline of Iran Protests
September 2022
On September 17, they buried Amini in her hometown, Saqqez. Despite government warnings, hundreds of people showed up to the burial. Some chanted phrases like “death to the dictator” and “women, life, freedom” in opposition to the regime. Some women at the burial took off their hijabs in protest. Security personnel fired on protestors as they marched toward the local governor’s office. On September 19, the Iranian government shut down internet access in some regions.
According to Amnesty International, on September 21, the GHQ of the Armed Forces ordered their soldiers to confront anti-revolutionaries.
On September 22, Intelligence officers broke into Niloofar Hamedi’s home. She uploaded the picture with Amini’s parents hugging them. The foreign hacktivist group Anonymous claimed to have penetrated over 300 CCTV cameras and at least 100 Iranian websites. Many of them belonged to the Iranian government.
On Friday, September 30, the Iranian police opened fire on residents in Zahedan during Friday prayers. It was the most brutal episode of the protests. News that a police commander had sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in Chahbahar, demonstrations erupted. Up to forty people were killed and numerous others were injured in Zahedan protests.
According to a report released later by Amnesty International, government forces “illegally fired live ammunition, metal pellets, and teargas while people were praying”. This mosque is located across the street from the police station. this incident happened when hundreds of people, including children and older people, were still performing Friday prayers. Furthermore, according to Amnesty International, ” 82 were killed and several of them were looking away from the security forces and posed no imminent threat.” The attack was commonly known as “Bloody Friday.”
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October 2022
In October, uprisings took place all over the world under the slogan “Women, Life, and Freedom”. in major cities, these riots happened including New York, London, and Melbourne.
On October 3, Al-Jazeera reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed that a scheme by Iran’s foes abroad was to blame. He blamed Israel and the United States accusing them of trying to stop Iran’s progress. Khamenei described certain forms of protest as “not normal, natural reactions,” such as burning Qurans and mosques and taking off hijabs.
On October 8, President Raisi posed for a group photo at al-Zahra University. It happened while women protestors chanted “Death to the oppressor” in another area of the campus.
On October 14, Social media users were outraged further when a video of anti-riot police sexually assaulting a female protester got viral. The BBC’s Persian service authenticated the video. According to the official news agency IRNA, the incident is being looked into by Tehran’s police. They only said that the “enemy utilizing psychological warfare tried to provoke public fear and encourage violence.”
On October 30, the first hearings for those accused of being “rioters” were held in a Tehran court. Several people were accused of “corruption on Earth” and “waging war against Allah.” Both of which are punishable by death under post-1979 Iranian law.
Till the end of October, about 1,000 people have been charged in connection with the anti-government protests, according to Tehran’s chief prosecutor.
November 2022
On November 3, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to “free Iran” in a lengthy campaign speech in California. He predicted that protesters would soon be successful in gaining their own freedom. Numerous protesters gathered outside during the speech and held banners in support of the Iranian protesters.
On November 4, Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, responded to Biden’s statement. He televised a speech by stating that “Iran was released 43 years ago.” Additionally, he described the protesters as “deceived traitors.”
Human rights activists in Iran reported 321 protester murders on November 8, as Iran’s courts warned of severe punishments for those found guilty of participating in demonstrations.
On November 11, during a game against China in Tehran, the Iranian national basketball team skipped the national anthem. The action was widely perceived as an expression of solidarity for the demonstrations.
On November 13, the first documented death sentence associated with the protests was given by Iranian courts against a defendant who was convicted of setting fire to a government facility.
On November 15, Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, falsely claimed in an early-morning tweet that Iran had executed close to 15,000 protesters. Trudeau was tweeting from Indonesia. Eleven hours later, the tweet was deleted. “The post was informed by initial material that was incomplete and lacked necessary context,” a Canadian representative claimed.
Despite ongoing government attempts, journalist Ellen Ioannes wrote in Vox on November 19 that the protests “showed no signs of ceasing.”
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