Tracking what’s happening in Iran has become much more difficult over the past week as the government has not just shut down internet access across much of the country, but taken extreme measures to limit cell phones and other means of getting information out. International governments have cooperated in opening spectrum for radio transmissions out of Iran, and satellite services, such as those offered by SpaceX, are possible, but access is rare and the government is taking steps to halt use of these alternatives. In addition, there have been mass arrests and dozens of people (at least) murdered by the regime in an effort to control protests.
As a result, there are many fewer images and much less information about what’s happening than in the first few days of the protests that followed the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by Iran’s “morality police.” However, that doesn’t mean that the protests there have died. In fact, large numbers of Iranians—in particular, Iranian women—are continuing to defy the demands of the theocratic regime. And there continue to be amazing shows of bravery, even among those who are intimately aware of the costs.
Fifteen days after the protests began, there are still some videos showing large gatherings challenging the regime and the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Khamenei.
In addition to the internet shutdown—which is intended as much to prevent organizing within Iran as it is to prevent images of protests from reaching anyone outside Iran—there has been a crackdown on journalists, both Iranian and international, attempting to report on events. As The Times of London reports, that includes an arrest of the journalist who first covered Amini’s story and helped make what happened to her visible to women across Iran.
Niloufar Hamedi was arrested after breaking the news that Amini, 22, was in hospital following her arrest this month for “unsuitable attire” by the police force, which enforces the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. Hamedi is one of several reporters detained during the country’s worst protests since 2019.
The crackdown on sources of all kinds may have been somewhat effective. Certainly it’s more difficult to find images of large protests than it was a week ago. It’s unclear if large-scale protests are continuing in the streets of Tehran, where last week protesters pushed back and overwhelmed riot police sent to halt their march through the city. However, there are absolutely many acts of individual and small-scale defiance continuing in the capital.
And elsewhere in Iran, large-scale protests are absolutely continuing, even in the face of more brutal actions by the regime.
No matter how tightly the government clamps down, these women’s drive toward freedom appears unstoppable. And it’s spreading. It’s not just spreading to villages, towns, and cities throughout Iran; it’s spreading to places where the word “bravery” seems utterly inadequate.
These women are still calling for their freedom, even as men advance to tear up their signs and gunshots sound around them. They are unarmed. They know very well that they are liable to be beaten, imprisoned, and murdered. They are speaking up anyway. That’s not just inspiring: It’s humbling.