More than a thousand protesters have been arrested in Iran. Here are three of their stories.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, sent a strong message to his country’s protesters.
In a speech to the supreme leader and the nation, Khamenei said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be humiliated.”
He added that the protesters, whom he accused of “hooliganism and terrorism,” had disrupted the country.
“The [government’s] enemies are at the gates of the prisons,” Khamenei said.
The demonstrators held a rally in Tehran’s Azad Square. But their numbers have swelled after Iranian officials announced that it would be illegal to protest in the streets. This has meant that the protest’s leaders will have to go it alone.
Here are three stories from protests across Iran. Some were violent. Many were peaceful. In all cases, the demonstrators fought for change. In some cases, it was to the regime’s benefit. In other cases, they fought to achieve democracy.
Here are some of the stories they told me.
‘My people, my city’
Daryabou is one of the leaders of a group called the Student Movement of Iran.
Daryabou’s group rallied in front of the Iranian parliament and police headquarters on Friday. He said that it was to “express our rage, our anger.”
As they marched through the streets of Tehran, protesters shouted slogans including “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.”
Khamenei is the country’s top religious leader. Daryabou and his fellow protesters held up photos of people who have been detained.
“Some of them have my name and face on the photos,” the leader said.
Daryabou told
