Tehran, February 17. Iran saw fresh protests calling for an end to the Islamic Republic last night in several cities across the country, after several weeks of relative calm following the revolt sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September.
“Death to Khamenei (Iranian supreme leader)” and “Damn Khomeini” were some of the cries that rang out in the cities of Tehran, Rasht, Mashad or Karaj, according to videos posted on social media by the militant group 1500Tasvir.
Protesters marched through the streets of the country coinciding with the 40-day execution of two prisoners sentenced to death for their participation in the protests, a date of mourning highly respected by Iranians.
Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were executed on January 7 for the alleged murder of a basiji – Islamist militant – in November, during the riot sparked by the death of Amini after his arrest for not wearing the headscarf correctly Islamic.
The slogan “woman, life, freedom” of the protests led mainly by young people and women in which they demand more freedoms and the end of the Islamic Republic also resonated in the night marches.
These new demonstrations come after several weeks of relative calm, during which the demonstrations had practically disappeared under the effect of state repression and in particular the executions of demonstrators.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called the protests a “failure” last Saturday during the celebration of the 44th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
“We did not come together just to commemorate the great day (of the revolution), also because once again the revolution has triumphed and the enemies have failed,” Raisí said, in a speech delivered in Azadi Square. (Freedom) of Tehran, the epicenter of the commemorations.
But the new protests show that popular discontent remains despite a crackdown that has left nearly 500 people dead and 20,000 arrested, including several hundred who were sentenced to prison and 17 to hanging.
So far, four protesters have been executed, including one in public.