2021–2022 Iranian protests

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For Iranian protests starting 16 Sep 2022, see Mahsa Amini protests.
2021–2022 Iranian water protests
Part of the Iranian Democracy Movement and Water crisis in Iran
Amir Kabir University uprising September 2022 (3).jpg
Date15 July 2021 – present (sporadically)
Location
Various cities across Iran, especially rural Iran
Caused by
Goals
  • Availability of clean water for people of Khuzestan
  • An end to the power outages nationwide
  • Deposition of the Supreme Leader[4]
  • Overthrow of the Islamic Republic[5]
  • De-Khomeinization
  • Turn Iran into a secular country
  • Reform the government
MethodsDemonstrations
Riots
Roadblocks and Barricades
StatusOngoing
 • Escalation after the death of Mahsa Amini into September 2022 Iranian protests
Parties to the civil conflict
Iranian protesters
Lead figures
No centralised leadership Ali Khamenei
Ebrahim Raisi
Hassan Rouhani
Ahmad Vahidi
Abdolreza Fazli
Hossein Ashtari
Casualties
Death(s)+530 (145 confirmed)
  • 10 protesters
  • 2 police
Arrested100+
Protests are still ongoing so casualties and arrests may differ

Water shortages and blackouts of electricity are being sporadically protested in Iran as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement. The shortages and blackouts have continued to fuel public anger in the aftermath of previous waves of the Iranian Democracy Movement, such as the 2017–2021 Iranian protests. Protests erupted on 15 July to protest the water shortages and crisis, but quickly were met with police violence and brutality. The protests were soon dubbed the Uprising of the Thirsty.[7]

The protests started on 15 July in Khuzestan in response to the water crisis, but they quickly spread to other provinces and turned political in nature, with protesters in various cities calling for the end of the current regime.[8] In August 2021 Amnesty International noted that brutal forces have been used by Iran's Security Force to oppress the protesters.[9]

Protests

15–18 July 2021

Live gunfire was used to disperse crowds of people in many areas, like Susangerd. In Hamidiyeh, there was a heavy police presence as 300+ people started rallies chanting "I Am Thirsty!".[10][failed verification]

On 16 July, street protests continued, with thousands and thousands of demonstrators marching on the streets of Ahvaz, Mahshahr, Bushehr and Bostan. According to media sources, one person was killed during protests in southeastern Iran by gunfire.[11][failed verification] The next day, hundreds of videos circulated online from citizens journalists and media sources from the protest marches, like in Kut-e Abdollah, Karkheh and Shush, where regime forces opened fire on the protesters, killing three people. Gunshots could be heard in other cities as tens of thousands of protesters marched and set vehicles on fire as they chanted anti-government slogans.[12]

On July 18, a policeman was shot dead by protestors.[13]

20–21 July 2021

On 20 July, protesters rallied in the cities of Ahvaz, Esfahan, Tehran, Ramhormoz, Khuzestan, Shadegan and Bushehr. Thousands gathered outside governor’s offices in those areas and clapped and danced. There were children among them. Car tires in Ahvaz were burnt as police tried to quell a demonstration with bullets.[citation needed]

By the 21st of July, the marches escalated into deadly violence. One protester was killed during a clash in Ahvaz as rallies in Esfahan, Yazdanshahr and Susangerd became increasingly violent. Demonstrators in Masjed Soleyman chanted, "Police, support us," a reference to local concerns about security forces cracking down harshly on earlier rallies. Social media videos that appeared to be from protests in Izeh showed protesters chanting "Death to Khamenei" and "Reza Shah, bless your soul" as gunshots flared in the background. VOA could not verify the claims. "Death to Khamenei" has been a common refrain of Iranian anti-government protesters angered by the authoritarian rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in recent years. "Reza Shah, bless your soul" also has been uttered in previous waves of Iranian street protests as a in a minor attempt to show affection toward the founder of the nation’s former monarchy, Reza Shah. Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, ousted Reza Shah’s son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from power in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.[14]

22 July 2021

In recent days, Persian-language media based abroad have broadcast videos showing protests in Ahvaz, Hamidiyeh, Izeh, Mahshahr, Shadegan and Susangerd

Chants like "Reza Shah bless his soul" were voiced as thousands continued to protest in Mahshahr, Susangerd, Izeh, Shush and Bandar Abbas on 22 July, with gunshots becoming apparent. A viral video was posted with a woman asking a police officer why they are shooting at the demonstrators.[citation needed] Another fatality was reported as a man was shot, taken to hospital but was confirmed to be dead. Internet services have also been reported to have been disrupted in the region, as Tehran’s residents protested in support of the Khuzestanis. A group of women chanted slogans on the Tehran Metro. Fires were lit as seven protesters were confirmed dead.[15]

23–31 July 2021

By 14 July, over 100 protesters were reported to have been detained. In Ahvaz, protesters blocked a roadside and a highway to protest water scarcity. Flames rose in Susangerd and Lorestan during protests.[16]

On 24 July, significant protests took place in the northwest city of Tabriz in solidarity with the protests in Khuzestan.[17][18] They were chanting "Death to the Dictator" in support of the protesters back in Khuzestan. Meanwhile, in Ahvaz, Shadegan and Mahshahr, more major protests occurred, as well as protests in Lorestan and Aligudarz. Police opened fire on demonstrators in Shadegan and Mahshahr today, with a funeral of a protester held in Izeh. Anti-government protests reportedly broke out in neighbouring Zanjan to protest the use of force against water protesters in Ahvaz and Aligudarz.[citation needed]

People gathered and protested were reported in Saqqez in Iranian Kurdistan.[19] Protests also continued in Khuzestan Province and in East Azerbaijan Province. Heavy Security was also reported in Tabriz, and witnesses spotted protesters getting blindfolded.[20]

Protests reached Iran's capital, Tehran.[21] Also elsewhere in Karaj people protested; employees of the Khomeini Hospital in Karaj marching on the streets to demand their unpaid wages and in objection to their economic woes. For the 3rd day in Izeh protests also continued there.

September 2021

From 6–7 September, massive rallies protested the bad economic situation in Iran.[22]

November 2021

By November the number of female demonstrators had heavily increased.[23]

From November 9–27 crowds of 2,000-3,000 Iranians in Isfahan gathered to hold demonstrations against water shortages, which increasingly grew violent over time. On November 27, the Islamic Republic employed large amounts of riot police as they arrested 67 protesters, breaking up the protests.[24]

February 2022

On February 1, 2022, thousands of teachers across the country performed a one-day strike after three consecutive days of protests.[25] The next day, a policeman was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker. Military officer Hossein Ashtari proposed a new law that would make it easier for police officers to use firearms, prompting worries that such a practice could provide a license to police brutality against civilians.[26]

2022 food protests

Main article: 2022 Iranian food protests

Protests in Iran broke out in early May after a hike in wheat prices.[27]

Government response

Raisi took control of new cultural rebuilding act.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Iran News Wire (21 July 2021). "Iran: Why Are Rivers In Khuzestan Province Dried Out?". Eurasia Review. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  2. ^ Reuters, Mostafa Salem Hande Atay Alam and. "Water crisis protests reportedly continue in Iran, with chants in capital". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  3. ^ @AlinejadMasih (4 November 2021). "The US embassy in Tehran was taken over in Nov 1979 and the Islamic Republic celebrates the occasion by anti-US ral…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "اعتراضات خوزستان؛ شعار 'مرگ بر خامنهای' و آتش زدن تانک بازمانده از جنگ". BBC News (in Persian). 20 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  5. ^ "اعتراضات خوزستان؛ هشدار سینماگران ایران درباره خطر 'نابودی ایران'". BBC News (in Persian). 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  6. ^ Fassihi, Farnaz (July 21, 2021). "'I Am Thirsty!' Water Shortages Compound Iran's Problems". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  7. ^ "Protests in Southwest Iran Due To Water Crisis". NCR Iran. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. ^ "گسترش اعتراضات "به اصفهان و بوشهر"؛ وضعیت نامشخص بازداشتی‌های خوزستان". رادیو فردا. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  9. ^ "Iran: Security forces use ruthless force, mass arrests and torture to crush peaceful protests". 11 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Iran protests: One killed in water crisis demonstration". BBC News. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Iran water crisis spurs protests -reports". Reuters. July 16, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  12. ^ "Video: The Uprising Of The People Of Khuzestan In Ahvaz, Shush, Karkheh, Susangerd, And Kut-Abdullah on Saturday, July 17, 2021". 17 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Violence intensifies in water-crisis protests in Iran's Khuzestan". Al Jazeera English. 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Iran Water Shortage Protests Result in 3rd Death, Extend Into 7th Day". Voice of America. July 22, 2021. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  15. ^ "Spreading water shortage protests in Iran provoke rare response from supreme leader". The Times. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Iran News in Brief – July 25, 2021". NCR Iran. 25 July 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  17. ^ "تظاهرات در تبریز برای همبستگی با اعتراضات خوزستان". رادیو فردا. Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  18. ^ "حمایت مردم تبریز از اعتراض‌ها در خوزستان؛ آذربایجان، خوزستان، اتحاد اتحاد". ایران اینترنشنال. July 24, 2021. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  19. ^ "As Protests Continue In Iran's Khuzestan, Unrest Can Spread Elsewhere". Iran International. July 25, 2021. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  20. ^ "Iran Intelligence Agents Continue Arrests Of Protesters". Iran International. July 25, 2021. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Iran protests spread to Tehran and Tabriz". www.intellinews.com. July 26, 2021. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  22. ^ "Iran: Ongoing Protests Because of Bad Economic Situation". 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  23. ^ "November 2021 – Widespread presence of women in protests". 5 December 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Iran: Protests on water shortages turn violent as police arrest 67 | DW | 28.11.2021". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  25. ^ "Iranian teachers in new day of protests over pay". Arab News. 2022-02-01. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  26. ^ "Iran To Ease Laws On Police Use Of Firearms". Iran International. Archived from the original on 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  27. ^ One killed as price protests continue in Iran, Reuters, archived from the original on 2022-05-16, retrieved 2022-05-24
  28. ^ https://www.tasnimnews.com/fa/news/1401/07/23/2788323/%D8%B1%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%87%D9%86%DA%AF%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5%D8%A7-%D9%BE%DB%8C%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%85-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF
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