Iran. The tragic death of a 22-year-old woman in Tehran has been making headlines since September 16, and once again, stories other than the typical nuclear-terrorism saga have provided information about the unrest in the country.
Mahsa fell victim to Tehran’s brutal morality police. She came from the Kurdish ethnic minority in the northern Iranian town of Saqqez. Through more than 8 million social media posts, her name gained international attention, sparking a fresh round of protests that have since spread to six cities and three provinces.
The morality police of the regime beat Mahsa after arresting her on September 13 under the pretext of “improper veiling.” For three days, she was in a coma.
Perhaps Mahsa had no idea that her life and death would ignite Iran’s brew of social rage. Iran is home to tens of millions of girls and women who, like Mahsa, have been victimized by the misogynistic authorities and are living without even the faintest glimmer of hope. In the last four decades, the clerical regime has executed tens of thousands of female dissidents in its dungeons and on the gallows.
Soon after, protests turned into a battleground between the people and the forces of the regime. A young protester named Kian Derakhashan was shot and killed, and numerous others were hurt.
Iran, which has recently seen eight significant uprisings, is currently experiencing a deteriorating economy that is being hampered by monopolistic policies, systemic corruption, deteriorating infrastructure, and high-paying jobs that are only available to privilege, state-affiliated elites.
The regime’s Supreme National Defense University (SNDU) recently reported that “Three of four Iranians participate in protests.” After examining the recent major uprisings in 2018 and November 2019, it concluded that “With the continuation of the economic crisis and the sharp increase in the feeling of injustice and inequality in society, if uprisings occur again, nearly 75% of people will participate in the protests.”
Not just the SNDU warned the regime; other state-affiliated organizations did as well. The volatile society is frequently mentioned in speeches and state-run media in Iran.
“I am making an official announcement… we have reached the end of the road, meaning we are completely cut off from the people and the people have lost all hope in us. We have reached the very end.” A former top official, Rasul Montajabnia, warned on September 12 that “we are forced to push through our measures by using force.”
The genocidal regime has committed many crimes, including the brutal murder of Mahsa. The current wave of demonstrations is not the Iranian people’s first or final attempt to overthrow the government. The way the public reacted to Mahsa Amini’s murder, however, revealed that the nation’s rage against the entire ruling class is much deeper than a fleeting emotional outburst.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTub
