This week, Iranians mourned the men, women and children that were killed during the Iran Protests in November. Those vigils were interrupted by a heavy show of Iran’s security forces, with reports of several arrests being made during the ceremonies.
Pre-empting the second round of protests which Iranian citizens had planned and publicized in the run-up to the demonstrations, the Iranian government began to restrict access to the internet.
The last internet blackout was during the November protests, which stopped large swathes of Iran’s population from accessing the internet. Savvy web users were able to bypass the blocks and post online, sharing the often violent responses by security officials to the demonstrations.
Iranian documentary producers pledged to record the events of the November protests in a joint statement signed by 135 film makers. The statement said, “For 40 days, wounded and in pain and shock, we have been mourning what our people went through. Crimes that will never fade from our souls and memories.”
Iraq’s President Barham Salih pushed back against pressure from Iran to appoint a nominee for prime minister with links to Bina, an Iran-backed parliamentary bloc. Militia leader Hadi al-Amiri, who leads the Bina bloc, had nominated Asaad al-Edani as next prime minister.
As Iranians and the international community united to try to stop the violent crackdowns inside Iran this year, the Special National Orchestra of Iran went on tour to advocate for world peace. The orchestra includes musicians with mental and physical disabilities, and this video explaining what music means to members of the orchestra is deeply touching.
And Iran’s top chess player and the world’s number two junior player, 16 year-old Alireza Firouzja refused to play for the country over its ban on competing against Israelis. Alireza also said he wanted to change his nationality, in a show of protest against the ban.
- While international charities and organizations working on the ground in Iran have been collecting and sharing data on the number of injuries and deaths during the Iran Protests, the Iranian government has consistently refused to release official figures for those hurt and killed during the demonstrations.
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- A joint declaration written by Iranians supporting the Iran Protests was published.The statement reaches out to children who lost their parents during the demonstrations.
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- A report that Zohreh Sayyadi, a social activist and children’s book author was arrested, was passed on by a reliable source to this newspaper.
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- Conflicting reports about the number of people living under the poverty line in Iran highlighted the Iranian government’s growing anxieties over its hold on the country.
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