Rising Against State Repression: Current Protests in Iran

Eli Kim, design editor

Over 16 days of unrest, 2,000 reported dead and 10,000 arrested, the current protests unfolding in Iran have become “one of the most serious challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic revolution” according to BBC. Beginning in December 28, there have been numerous demonstrations across Iranian cities, initially sparked economic troubles over inflation and deprecation of currency. However, the movement quickly turned into something broader, with the government quickly stepping in to make it the deadliest demonstration of state suppression in modern Iranian history. By January 10, the Iranian security force started using live ammunition against the protesters, filling hospitals to their brink in Tehran and Shiraz. Though Iranian officials have confirmed 2,000, multiple sources estimate that the actual death toll is possibly as many as 20,000. 

The economic crisis began in 2024 but reached its breaking point around Dec. 2025. The Iranian rial fell to a record low (1.4 million riyals being the equivalent to $1), making basic essentials unaffordable for the citizens, with inflation rate peaking at 40-50 percent. These problems were mainly due to government corruption, rising unemployment rates and especially the increased sanctions on oil exports. 

Similar to other protests in Iran, the movement quickly incorporated broader social issues to its cause, such as problems relating to Iran’s strict compliance to Islamic law as well as women’s rights. “Zan, Zandegi, Azadi” (Women, Life, Freedom), a slogan commonly heard during the 2023 Mahsa Amini protests, is once again being heard. The Iranian women and youth are particularly active in these movements, protesting the strictly enforced social codes and decade-long religious ideals in their government that have restricted civil liberties for the entirety of their lives.  

“The collapse is not just of the rial, but of trust,” said Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute, according to Outlook India. 

The Iranian government met them with force. Security forces moved to disperse, dispel and detain protesters, often with lethal methods. “Based on information received, those killed were mainly shot by forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij,” according to Iran International. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has confirmed thousands of deaths, among them uninvolved citizens and children. Though the government has responded similarly to past protests, the current scale shows how seriously they are taking this threat. With thousands in detainment, officials began using torture to get coerced confessions to justify harsh punishments, such as the death penalty. Hospitals were invaded as well, with nurses and doctors being forced to give over personal information of the protestors.  

One of the most notable moments during the Iranian protests is the January 8 internet shutdown. Authorities cut off almost all communication to the outside world in a total digital blackout, including mobile data, broadband and international/domestic services. They did this to stop protest groups from organizing and, more importantly, stop any information about the protests from getting out into the international community.