Eye on Iran's Protests - October 25, 2022

A protest movement is sweeping Iran in the aftermath of the killing of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the so-called “morality police.” UANI’s Eye on Iran's Protests is a daily news and events round-up to increase awareness of this movement and the regime’s brutal response. Now is the time to support the Iranian people. 

Iran Tensions Mount As Students Protest Ahead Of Mahsa Amini Ceremony | Agence France-Presse
Tomorrow is a significant day in Iran because it marks the 40th day since Mahsa Amini’s death, the end of the traditional mourning period. Protests are expected to gain momentum, especially as it was reported that security forces invaded a school and beat and violated schoolgirls on Monday. 

Iran’s Labor Strikes Give Protest Movement Added Momentum | Wall Street Journal
Labor strikes are picking up speed across Iran as a result of unions organizing and calling for them in the oil industry, educational institutions, and factories. Teachers across the country staged a sit-in to express their outrage at the arrest, detention, torture, and even murder of pupils at the hands of the state. The current anti-regime protest movement has also catalyzed strikes by sugar cane plant and steel mill workers as well as oil tanker truckers based on long-standing demands over pay.  

Warning: sensitive content. Fully-geared security personnel beat up defenseless protesters on the street.

Female students chafe at gender barriers and discrimination on college campuses.

The ubiquitous calls for “Death to Khamenei,” which now have become a protest slogan, capture the Iranian peoples’ desire for regime change.

Worried parents rushed to their children’s school after they found out about abuses by security forces.

Qom University students heckled a government spokesperson as he took the stage on their campus. He was similarly scoffed at when he visited K.N. Toosi University yesterday.

Students rally and shout “Freedom, Freedom, Freedom.”

London-based TV Channel Sparks Iranian Leaders’ Ire Amid Protests | CNN
Iran claims it will sue the U.S. for fomenting unrest in Iran and somehow punish the United Kingdom for hosting the news outlets BBC Persian and Iran International, which Iran asserts have provoked destructive behavior in Iran and terrorism. Despite its exceptional coverage of the demonstrations in Iran, one professor in the U.S. criticized Iran International. A former Iran International reporter defended the outlet and suggested that critics like the professor tend to be interested in giving the Iranian government a voice.  

Iran Charges Hundreds Accused Of Joining Protests | Wall Street Journal
Hundreds of people who allegedly played important roles in the protests will be tried in Iranian courts this week. Iran’s hardline judiciary chief said that the punishments, which potentially include the death penalty for a crime referred to as “war against God,” will be a “disincentive” to protest. On October 11, officials in the judiciary announced the incarceration of 1,700 people, though the number is likely much higher. 

Regime security forces kidnapped a 20-year-old girl from the hospital where she was being treated for internal bleeding. In addition to signs that she had been beaten, there were also indications thatshe had been raped. She is believed to be detained at Karaj prison now.

‘We Don’t Want Regime Change’: Iran’s Reformists Reaffirm Allegiance To Regime | Al Arabiya
Reformist politicians in Iran are clinging to their modus operandi, namely reform of the current system, in opposing regime change. They are evidently just as out-of-touch with the protesters’ demands as the more hardline figures running the government. The Iranian people are opposed to an oppressive regime of which the reformists are a part. 

Graffiti written on the wall foretells the fall of Khamenei and seemingly acknowledges the sacrifices that so many protesters are making in pursuit of that end. “This Year of Blood” might at the same time refer to his deposition.

Exclusive: US Special Envoy Says He Chose The Wrong Words On Iran Protests | Iran International
U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley walked back a Tweet he sent out in which he implied that the Iranian people were protesting for reforms rather than regime change. The Tweet said that they wanted their government to respect their rights, failing to mention the more probable possibility that the people want a new, democratic government. He admitted that the text was “poorly worded.” Calls for his resignation have mounted on social media, as many human rights activists believe his approach to diplomacy with an illegitimate regime in Tehran undercuts the interests and demands of the Iranian people.  

Organizers are calling for a solidarity protest in Israel on October 29th.