Protests continue to rage in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini. She was arrested by the moral police and later died. As Iranian women burn their veils, dance in the streets and cut their hair, the security forces have responded harshly. Iran’s president has said the authorities will crack down decisively on those who “disturb the order of the country”. Protesters have been jailed or shot dead, but it is difficult to get information about how many have been killed in the streets and what is actually happening.
This is how the regime has put down previous protests
Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, the Iranian regime has been repeatedly challenged in street protests. Nevertheless, the regime has managed to retain power over the country. After the 2009 election, protests broke out in which young demonstrators were shot dead. One of them was the young woman Neda Agha-Sultan, who was shot as she passed a demonstration. In 2017, Vida Movahed stood on an electrical cabinet in Tehran and waved a white veil on a stick. She was arrested by the security forces but more women followed with veiled protests and they came to be known as “the girls on Revolutionsgatan”. In 2019, anger over increased fuel prices led to demonstrations and riots in a number of locations in the country. While people are now challenging the regime in the streets, there is speculation that the supreme spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in faltering health. The question is what happens within the regime on the day he dies and who is likely to succeed him. One of the possible candidates mentioned is his own son.
Hear how the Iranian regime uses violence and repression to maintain its grip on Iran and crush the opposition.
Cast: Cecilia UddénMiddle East Correspondent, Agneta Rambergformer foreign affairs commentator, Rouzbeh Parsiprogram director, Institute for Foreign Policy
Program manager: Johan Mathias Sommarström
Producer: Katja Magnusson
Technician: Alma Segeholm
Source: ICELAND NEWS