Iran's so-called “morality” police routinely subject women and girls to arbitrary detention and other ill-treatment for not complying with Iran’s abusive, degrading and discriminatory compulsory veiling laws. On September 16th, 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman called Mahsa (Zhina) Amini was killed following her arrest by the “morality” police. She was arrested for “bad hijab” and was severely beaten during her arrest, resulting in a brain hemorrhage. She died in the hospital three days later. 

The unlawful killing of Mahsa Amini sparked widespread protests across all major towns and cities in Iran, with thousands taking to the streets to fight for women’s rights, human rights, and the overthrowing of the Islamic Regime. Hundreds of protests also have taken place outside of Iran in order to show their solidarity with the people of Iran against the Regime. 

Security forces have repeatedly used unlawful force, fired live ammunition and metal pellets at protesters at close range, misused tear gas and water cannons, and severely beaten people with batons. Since Mahsa’s death, dozens of protesting men, women, and children have died. Hundreds of others have sustained serious injuries, including many who have been blinded in one or both eyes. Most are not seeking hospital treatment for fear of arrest, increasing the risk of infection and other health complications. 

Regime forces have also targeted universities and university students across most major cities, including Tehran and Esfahan. At Sharif University (Iran’s equivalent of MIT) in Tehran, government forces besieged the university, locking students and professors inside, then proceeded to open fire and arrest hundreds of people. 

The Islamic Regime is using weapons of war to silence protesters in some areas. Security forces opened fire on protesters and civilians in the city of Zahedan, Baluchistan, killing at least 96, and injuring over 300 people. Kurdish majority cities, such as Sanandaj, Saqez, Oshnavieh, and Mahabad have also been subject to significant violence. The Regime has bombed Kurdish-Iranian strongholds in Iraqi Kurdistan. 

Since the early days of the protests, many public figures, activists, artists, athletes, and other celebrities who showed any support for the people and their movement have been silenced. The louder and more influential their voice, the more harsh their punishment. From threatening them, seizing their assets, and raiding their homes, to brutally arresting and torturing them.

Hossein Ronaghi, one of the most prominent civil activists, was arrested on September 24th   and imprisoned at Evin (Tehran’s infamous prison which holds high-profile political prisoners (journalists, artists, civic activists), dual-nationals and recently arrested protestors). Prison guards have dislocated one of Hossein's fingers and broken both his legs. In addition, he is reportedly vomiting blood while being denied the medical treatment he desperately needs. This is only one example of the repeated cases and evidence of the appalling denouncement of human rights at the hands of the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian authorities have continued to heavily suppress the rights to freedom of speech, development and assembly by severely filtering internet access and drastically limiting cell phone connectivity. During the last internet blackout in 2019, the regime allegedly murdered 1,500 protestors across the country, in an attempt to crackdown the protests and to hide the crimes against humanity with the help of the blackout. These patterns are being repeated today in Iran to hide the scale of violations by security forces. Iranian authorities are shutting down the Internet to hide their crimes.