The massive protests in Iran calling for the fall of the country’s dictator is on its 11th day. Along with the growing participation of demonstrators is the rising death toll brought by the crackdown of the state government as well as violent resistance from protestors.
Iran is facing a wave of unrest that was sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Amini, 22, was arrested on September 13 for her “unsuitable attire”–showing her hair by not wearing a hijab–by the country’s morality police. She died three days later after falling into a coma.
Since then, demonstrators have took it to the streets, causing the country’s biggest protests since 2019. In a number of online videos covering the unrest, many Iranians have been calling for “death to (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei” and pushing for ending decades of dictatorship.
Women demonstrators are also waving their compulsory headscarves, protesting the strict rule represented by the mandatory wearing of the hijab.
Iranian authorities have publicly claimed the protests’ death toll as being 41 on Saturday and have kept this number since. However, Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights said that at least 76 people have been killed in the crackdown.
“The brutal death of Mahsa Amini can be a tipping point for the Islamic Republic,” said Iranian activist and journalist Masih Alinejad. “Because Iranians made up their mind–they’re facing guns and bullets. The number of the people who got killed–it’s more than what you mentioned. The regime actually cut off the internet. They’re trying to stop the rest of the world to understand how many people get killed, to hide the level of brutality.”
The protests are now close to lasting two weeks and have spread in more than 80 cities and towns.
“This is a women’s revolution. This is Iran revolution,” added Alinejad.
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