Fighting Decades of Silencing: The Anti-Government Protests in Iran

By: Raashi Khamkar

The Iranian government has been in disarray the past couple of decades, primarily being driven in the past couple of months. The Iranian regime, after the 1979 revolution, became an Theocratic-Islamic republic state, ruling with absolute power. Iran has had a growing divide between the elites of society and the general population, several human rights abuses, and a failing economy, fueling the protests that are ongoing within the regime. 

The people of Iran are strictly controlled through their authoritarian-like regime, enforcing strict punishments such as the execution of many people. The Iranian people have protested about different matters on separate occasions, which have all resulted in brutal crackdowns, such as women's rights protests having life or death repercussions. Additionally, due to the country enforcing Islamic law, specifically Shia Islam, news and press coverage is limited. Women's rights advocate, Sharifeh Mohammadi, is an example of the strict government policies, as she was sentenced to death for standing up for women’s injustices. One of Iran’s many strict ways to avoid civil unrest is its enforced disappearances, or in simpler words, kidnapping by authorities who refuse to provide the whereabouts of those who have been kidnapped. Individuals can and have in the past been taken to psychological wards where they are mistreated and undergo torture methods. Iran also follows the Islamic Penal Code, which follows a series of actions depending on the wrongdoing. Iran has constantly broken human rights laws, meaning people are unable to protest without facing the implications of the Iranian government (Amnesty, 2023). 

Other citizens of Iran are more driven regarding the economic failures aspect of the government. As of December last year, the Iranian currency severely depreciated, raising inflation to an all-time high amid already worsening living conditions and the nation's mismanagement of services. This led to the first part of the protest, the shutting down of shops. The food prices became 72% higher than the previous year and 40% higher overall. Iran’s economy has taken several hits over the past couple of months, starting from its brief 12-day conflict with Israel, the UN reimposing nuclear sanctions, and its new national fuel subsidy system, which increased the price of gas. Life has become impossible as prices for necessities and goods have risen rapidly (Al Jazeera, 2026).

Economic and social factors are just a few reasons why people are rebelling. Environmental degradation, water and air pollution, lack of cultural rights, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, water shortages, and electricity cuts are all additional factors contributing to the protests currently occurring. However, though the movement seems as strong as it has ever been, there are several attempts made by the Iranian government to stop what has been occurring, such as the cutting off of the internet to both prevent the coordination of events and hide the crimes of authorities, to prevent them from spreading around the internet. Thousands have been arrested and killed during these protests as the government sees these protesters as rioters that need to be held accountable, rather than people simply wishing to reform the corrupt government. The death toll ranges from 3,000 to about 20,000. Due to the mass censorship of the internal media, much of the news comes from outside sources, so it can be difficult to even depict how bad the situation currently is. 

It is difficult to predict the outcome of the protest, especially because the US says it can provide aid to the protestors if the situation worsens. Many protestors are divided on what kind of government they would like if they fully took over the current regime, however all of the people are unified by the idea of getting rid of the current government (Amnesty, 2026).

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Works Cited

Amnesty International. (2023). Human Rights in Iran. Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/iran/report-iran/ 

Shamim, S. (2026, January 12). What we know about the protests sweeping Iran. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/12/what-we-know-about-the-protests-sweeping-iran 

What happened at the protests in Iran? (2026, January 26). Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/01/what-happened-at-the-protests-in-iran/ 

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Photo by Owen Jones