These protests were fueled in large part by a worsening economic situation that has resulted in an increasingly hopeless population. What started out as protests over the rising cost of living soon turned into sweeping opposition to the clerical regime. Ali, who is an Iranian national, took part in the protests. As a peaceful protestor, he experienced firsthand the regime’s brutal crackdown on dissent. His frightening testimony illuminates the perilous conditions that everyday Iranians have been living under during this volatile time【 7 • 9】.
As protests spread across the country, Ali and his older brother joined these popular protests, shouting in their streets, “Down with the dictator.” Things quickly took a turn as regime forces reacted violently. Eyewitness accounts portray horrific scenes of panic, during which security forces opened fire on and beat protesters. Ali recounted, “I could see blood everywhere in the street. People had nothing while the other side was armed with all types of weapons, some military grade.”
Protests Grow in Scale and Intensity
Following those first protests, demonstrations spread nationwide. These protests culminated in millions of people taking part in huge protests on January 8 and January 9. According to reports, at least 618 protest actions took place across the country, covering 187 cities in all 31 provinces. Unfortunately, these protests were met by a harsh military crackdown called Operation Interception.
As if the situation were not already complicated for protesters and their families, the Iranian government imposed a communications blackout on January 8. Ali said a family friend experienced a tragic loss during this crackdown, losing two of his children to the violence. Signatures are gathered through coercion. A family friend was intimidated to the point of signing documents. These records incorrectly indicated that the minors had joined the regime’s Basij militia. Ali explained the grim reality: “Once identified, they asked them, ‘Was he and she Basij?’ … if yes, [there was] nothing or a small amount to pay; if not, you have to pay $10,000 to collect the body.”
For millions of families, this is a tremendous expense they are not able to bear. Ali remarked, “That is a lot of money for most people, so many people have no choice, and this will add to their numbers.”
International Response and Calls for Evacuation
As violence increased throughout all of Iran, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong decided to act. She called Australians in the region to come home while they still had commercial travel options. She reiterated that Australia’s travel advice is now unequivocally against any travel to Iran because of the quickly deteriorating situation. “Our travel advice remains do not travel, and our ability to provide services in Iran is extremely limited,” Wong stated.
The international community has kept a watchful eye on the scene, and many Iran-watchers have decried the government’s use of heavy-handed suppression methods. Witness reports describe a horror scene near one of Tehran’s morgues. Supposedly, there were hundreds of corpses stacked in this mound to terrorize the townspeople.
These recent developments have caused waves of Iranians to turn to foreign governments for help. Ali mentioned that many people are “generally looking for US intervention now as they see it as an unequal and unfair battle.” He described the diverse demographics participating in the protests: “What caught my eyes … [were people] from all generations and different social classes.”
A Narrow Escape from Danger
After all of this chaos of protests, and seeing violence up front, Ali decided to emigrate from Iran. It took him two days to find a flight out of the country, finally taking off on a plane to Istanbul. He described the sense of danger that permeated the air during those final days: “That was when we understood it’s different this time, and we are in real danger.”
The demonstrations in Iran have brought the extreme economic suffering that Iranians are living through into sharp relief. They reflect growing impatience with an increasingly authoritarian government that has quashed opposition for too long. As these protests continue to evolve and develop, many hope for real change while facing the unfortunate reality of systemic oppression.
