Oct. 7 – Anti-regime protests in Iran which began on Sept. 17 are being increasingly referred to as part of a revolution movement by young people in the country, international human rights organizations and journalists around the world.
The protests — which have spread to more than 114 cities in the country — were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody, after being detained for not following the country’s mandatory dress code for women.
Girls around the country joined the protests by posting photos on social media showing themselves at school without their hijabs. In one student rally at Mashad University, young men and women could be heard chanting, “This is not a protest anymore. It’s the beginning of a revolution.”
Global hacking group Anonymous also referred to the demonstrations as a revolution in tweets it posted on Twitter.
The group — which has launched an initiative to hack Iran government and regime platforms — said it had breached several online state platforms and national digital infrastructures since the start of the protests.
Personal information including phone numbers of Iranian lawmakers and data from Iran’s National Petrochemical company were also leaked, according to the group.
And leading Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, warned that the ongoing protests would likely be met with heightened levels of violence by Iran’s security forces, in an interview with Time magazine.
Sotoudeh is currently on medical furlough after being sentenced to 38 years and 148 lashes in 2019, for representing her clients. Speaking to the outlet, she said that while she thought the Iranian government would heighten its response to protesters, in no way did she “see a return to the past, no matter the nature of the crackdown.”
The human rights lawyer also said that there was “a very real possibility of regime change,” and that she hoped the international community would support the protesters, who she said were defending universal values and principles.
Kayhan Life’s thoughts remain with Iranians demonstrating for their freedom.
