2019 protests in Iran

Last updated
2019 protests in Iran
Part of 2018–2019 Iranian general strikes and protests
DateJanuary 1, 2019 – 29 July, 2019
Location
Iran
Caused by
  • Turmoil and hardships in Iran
Goals
  • End of arrests and end to hardships, better wages and payments, resignation of government
Methods Demonstrations, Strikes
Resulted in
  • Protests suppressed by force
Deaths and injuries
Death(s)1

The 2019 protests in Iran was a series of peaceful rallies and nationwide strikes organised by activists and employees, and unemployed people across Iran in early-2019, as part of the 2018-2019 Iranian general strikes and protests. [1]

Contents

Background

Hardships and protests are frequent in Iran, especially with sanctions, deals, agreements, tensions, interferences into other conflicts (the Syrian Civil War and Iraq), tensions among the economy, civilian issues and governmental problems. The 2017-2018 Iranian protests was a starter of protest movements and unrest that frequently hit the nation, colliding with the 2018-2019 Iranian general strikes and protests. [2] [3]

Protests

January: Farmers gathered in Isfahan on 2 January to protest the lack of water in the Zayanderud. The protestors were met by security forces who fired tear gas and live rounds into the air to disperse the crowds. [4] [5] On 22 January, retirees gathered in front of the parliament building in Tehran and chanted "Torture and forced confessions, have no effect anymore". [6] Two days later, on 24 January, teachers gathered in five provinces to protest their current living and teaching conditions. [7]

February: On 14 February, teachers in Ardabil, Mashhad, Marivan, Sanandaj, Orumieh, and Kermanshah gathered outside of the offices of the Ministry of Education and protested the arrest of teachers, and unfavourable living and teaching conditions. [8] On the same day a teacher's rights activist was arrested in Sanandaj. [9]

On 26 February, railway workers in Tabriz and Shahroud went on strike. [10] Earlier that day, a large group of retirees gathered in front of the parliament building in Tehran to protest low pensions. Protesters chanted "no nation has seen such a dishonourable parliament" and "shame on those who claim to be the upholders of justice". [11]

March: On 3 March, teachers across Iran started a three-day nationwide sit in, in protest to low living wages and unfavourable job conditions. This is the third sit in this year by teachers across Iran. [12] The same day, railway workers in Andimeshk went on strike to protest unpaid wages and blocked the Ahvaz to Mashhad train from running its route. The families of Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian also gathered in front of the judiciary in Shush to protest their arrest. [13]

The following day on 4 March, mobile bazars in Tehran, Tabriz, Ahvaz, Mashhad, and Isfahan went on strike to protest the new initiative started by the Ministry of Communications which prevents them from registering the smartphones they want to sell. [14]

On 5 March, workers of Chamshir Dam in Gachsaran went on strike and gathered outside the governorate to protest 14 months of unpaid wages. On the same day, workers of the Ministry of Agriculture gathered in front of the parliament building in Tehran and protested their low wages. Railway strikes also continued in Tabriz and Lorestan province. [15] [16]

Strikers was seen protesting in Mashhad, Khorramshahr and Tehran and multiple arrests was made amid protests and widespread anger over deteriorating conditions and problems.

May: On 1 May (May day), workers, students, and teachers gathered in front of the parliament building in Tehran to protest poor economic conditions, and lack of individual rights. Protesters chanted "Workers, teachers, students, unite" and "High costs and inflation are hurting people's lives". The security forces clamped down on the protests and 40 demonstrators were arrested. [17] [18]

On 2 May, teachers across 13 provinces in Iran protested their poor work and living conditions. The security forces arrested at least 3 teachers in Tehran. [19] [20] [21]

On 3-5 May, teachers staged demonstrations and rallies all across Iran, notably Mashhad, where teacher’s unions led mass protests demanding the release of political prisoners and teachers arrested during previous strike movement and denounced the suppression of teachers strikes. Protesters were arrested. [22] [ better source needed ]

June-July: On 23 June, protestors in Kermanshah can be seen wearing yellow vests in inspiration by the French Yellow vests movement. Workers and employees was seen also holding placards and staging rallies over the next few days in Tehran and Alborz province against unpaid wages. In late-July, worker demonstrations was staged against unpaid wages.

See also

Related Research Articles

Iranian rock refers to rock music produced by Iranian artists. Rock music has been popular in Iran since 1960s, with the emergence of singers such as Kourosh Yaghmaei, Farhad Mehrad, Fereydoon Foroughi and Habib Mohebian, but was largely forgotten after the Iranian Revolution. Like most rock styles, electric guitar and bass guitar and drums are the main instruments in this type of music. In some groups, keyboard and piano are very important.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghazaleh Alizadeh</span> Iranian poet and writer

Ghazaleh Alizadeh ; 15 February 1949 – 12 May 1996) was an Iranian poet and writer. Her mother was also a poet and writer. She married twice; she and her husband Bijan Elahi had a daughter called Salma. She also adopted two girls who were survivors of the 1961 Qazvin earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hossein Ronaghi</span> Iranian human rights activist (born 1985)

Hossein Ronaghi Maleki better known as Hossein Ronaghi is an Iranian human rights activist and blogger. He has spent a total of 6 years in prison since 2009 for his activities. In 2022, after his re-arrest he became one of the well-known faces of Mahsa Amini protests.

Cyberwarfare is a part of Iran's "soft war" military strategy. Being both a victim and wager of cyberwarfare, Iran is considered an emerging military power in the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amir Tataloo</span> Iranian singer (born 1987)

AmirHossein Maghsoudloo, known professionally as Amir Tataloo, is an Iranian singer, rapper, songwriter. He is one of Iran’s most famous and controversial artists including his full body tattoo and his frequents open dialogue toward politics and social aspects of Iranian young generations. He is part of the first generation of the Iranian underground hip hop scene and also one of the first R&B singers in Persian. He is currently in Iran and under arrest for criticizing the Iranian government's human rights record in his songs and on social media.

Ali Shariati is an Iranian activist and political prisoner. He was arrested in the demonstrations following acid attacks on women in Isfahan, and went on a 61-day long hunger strike demanding "just judiciary process".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–2019 Iranian general strikes and protests</span> A series of strikes and protests that took place across Iran

The 2018–2019 Iranian general strikesand protests were a series of strikes and protests that took place across Iran from early 2018 until mid-2019 against the country's economic situation, as well as the Iranian government, as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement.

Esmail Bakhshi (Persian: اسماعیل بخشی; born 18 June 1983) is an Iranian activist, political prisoner, trade unionist, and a founding member and the independent Workers Union of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro Industrial Company in the Khuzestan Province of Iran.

The 2018 Iranian university protests were a series of protests, a spillover clash of the 2017–2018 Iranian protests, occurring as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement, by Iranian university students in support of labour, and teacher strikes, as well as protesting against the current situation of the country. The protests started on 4 December 2018, ahead of university day on 7 December, which is usually marked by protests.

Majid Assadi is an Iranian political prisoner in Gohardasht Prison, Iran. He has been arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents on February 18, 2017. On November 27, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced him to six years in prison and two years in exile in Borazjan, Bushehr Province for “propaganda against the state” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Sahar Khodayari</span> Self-immolation of an Iranian football fan

Sahar Khodayari, also known as the Blue Girl, was an Iranian woman who self-immolated in Tehran to protest the national laws banning females from attending sports events and entering stadiums since the Islamic Revolution. She was a fan of Esteghlal F.C., and in March 2019, she attempted to gain entry at the male-only Azadi Stadium while disguised as a man to watch a match played by the team. On 2 September 2019, she was told by the Islamic Revolutionary Court that she may face a six-month prison sentence. After leaving court, she died by suicide through self-immolation in front of the building, succumbing to her injuries a week later. Khodayari's politicized suicide has generated much debate in Iran about the government's restrictions on women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–2020 Iranian protests</span> Iranian series of protests

The 2019–2020 Iranian protests, sometimes known as Bloody November or Bloody Aban, were a series of nationwide civil protests in Iran that took place in 2019 and 2020. Initially caused by a 50–200% increase in fuel prices, they occurred as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement, leading to calls for the overthrow of the government in Iran and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The protests commenced as peaceful gatherings on the evening of 15 November but spread to 21 cities within hours, as videos of the protest circulated online, eventually becoming the most violent and severe anti-government unrest since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

The 2018 Iranian protests was a series of protests and massive nonviolent demonstrations across Iran throughout late-2018 against worsening tensions and deteriorating conditions as part of the 2018-2019 Iranian general strikes and protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 protests in Iran</span> Mass protests in Iran

The 2018 protests in Iran is mass protests and a popular uprising conspiring of peaceful demonstrations calling for better economic justice in June 2018 in Iran, the biggest wave of anti-government demonstrations since the 2017-2018 Iranian protests.

<i>Eslahatnews</i> Newspaper

Eslahat News is a news agency in Iran. This media is closely related to the reformist political current in Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasser Fahimi</span> Human rights defender, prisoner

Nasser Fahimi is an Iranian physician, human rights defender and a political prisoner of conscience. He is also the first figure in the political history of Iran who formally requested the Islamic Republic to revoke his Iranian citizenship due to its type of government.

The Zahedan massacre, also known as Bloody Friday (Balochi: زائدانءِ ھۏنݔن آدݔنَگ),⁣ was a series of violent crackdowns starting with protesters gathering and chanting in front of a police station near the Great Mosalla of Zahedan, Iran on 30 September 2022 leading to many casualties.

This list reports the notable citizens, civil and political activists, students, journalists, lawyers and athletes who have been arrested in Iran during the ongoing protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. There is no clear information about the whereabouts and the situation of many of them.

Death sentences during the Mahsa Amini protests is a list of Iranian citizens sentenced to death or charged with crimes punishable by death in the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Mahsa Amini protests. Following rushed trials that were widely criticized by human rights organizations, the Islamic Republic has executed seven protestors, Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi, and Saeed Yaghoobi. Dozens of protesters have been charged with offenses that are punishable by death in Iran.

Hamid Ghareh-Hassanlou was arrested in nationwide protests in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini. He is a Gonabadi dervish and a medical doctor who specializes in medical imaging. He was charged with killing a Basiji member during the funerals of Hadis Najafi by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Karaj. His wife, Farzaneh Ghareh-Hassanlou was arrested the same day. They were reportedly beaten during the arrest, and Hamid's ribs were later reported broken.

References

  1. ↑ "Iran's Teachers Denounce Suppression of Rights in Biggest Protests in Months". VOA News. February 15, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Workers Say Labor Activist In 'Serious Condition'". RFE/RL. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  3. ↑ "Police Arrest At Least 35 Workers, 2 Reporters In May Day Protest In Tehran". Radio Farda. May 1, 2019.
  4. ↑ "اعتراض کشاورزان اصفهان در "پل خواجو" به درگیری کشیده شد". صدای آمریکا. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  5. ↑ "تجمع کشاورزان اصفهان در میان تدابیر شدید امنیتی". Bbc.com. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "بازنشستگان در تجمع اعتراضی شعار"شکنجه، مستند، دیگر اثر ندارند" سردادند". صدای آمریکا. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  7. ↑ "تجمع اعتراضی معلمان شاغل و بازنشسته‌ در ۵ استان". رادیو زمانه. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  8. ↑ "معلمان در ۶ شهر ایران تجمعات اعتراضی برگزار کردند". رادیو زمانه. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  9. ↑ "یک فعال صنفی معلمان در کردستان بازداشت شد". صدای آمریکا. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  10. ↑ "#اعتراضات: کارگران راه‌آهن تبریز و شاهرود اعتصاب کردند". رادیو زمانه. 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  11. ↑ "تجمع بازنشستگان مقابل مجلس: حقوق‌های نجومی، فلاکت عمومی". رادیو زمانه. 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  12. ↑ "تحصن معلمان؛ دور سوم تحصن‌های سراسری به روز دوم رسید". 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  13. ↑ "خانواده سپیده قلیان مقابل دادگستری شوش تجمع کردند". صدای آمریکا (in Persian). Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  14. ↑ "بعضی از موبایل فروشان در چند شهر ایران مغازه‌های خود را بستند". 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  15. ↑ "تجمع و تحصن در پنج شهر ایران". IranWire | خانه (in Persian). Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  16. ↑ "کارگران راه آهن تبریز خط را 'بستند'". 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  17. ↑ "تجمع روز جهانی کارگر در ایران به خشونت کشیده شد؛ ده‌ها نفر بازداشت شدند". صدای آمریکا (in Persian). Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  18. ↑ "بازداشت ده‌ها نفر در روز جهانی کارگر در ایران". 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  19. ↑ "تجمع معلمان در شهرهای مختلف ایران؛ دست‌کم سه معلم بازداشت شده‌اند". صدای آمریکا (in Persian). Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  20. ↑ "تجمع سراسری معلمان؛ 'فضا امنیتی' و دست کم دو معلم بازداشت شدند". 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  21. ↑ "شماری از معلمان ایران در تجمع‌های اعتراضی "روز معلم" بازداشت شدند". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  22. ↑ "A report of Iran's Protests in March 2019". Iran Freedom. April 9, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.