Nearing a month of constant violence, the Iranian Protests, more commonly known as the Mahsa Amini protests, have surged throughout the entirety of Iran. From October 12th, 2022, approximately 185 innocent civilians have been murdered by government forces all across Iran by means of tear gas, live rounds, and even, beating. The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been using his power to murder civilians while also completely blacking out their access to internet, basic necessities, and human rights as a whole. However, there is a lot to unpack in this particular situation as to what caused this in the first place.

Nearly a month ago, an innocent girl named Mahsa Amini was brutally murdered by police for wearing her hijab “improperly.” The autopsy of Amini’s case is extremely disturbing and left many scarred. As soon as this news got out to the public, it sparked a flame in the hearts of the people, which soon became more than just a flame, a wildfire. 

Knowing why this has originally occurred, lets dive deeper into the more specific details.

Beginning on the 16th of September, 2022, the protests had spread throughout all provinces of Iran. Social media has been flooded with videos of the protests, some of which show the gruesome truth behind what is happening. Innocent people have been describing the horrors of what they’re seeing across TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. 

As tensions are rising, so are the feelings of the protestors and other countries, including Iran. An unnamed, former high-ranking Iranian official said “The question of many in the military and security forces is: ‘For what? For this government that’s corrupt from top to bottom?” While the high ranking officials of Iran continue to harass their citizens, the protestors are getting even more fierce. During recent times, they have adopted the phrases “Death to the dictator” and “Don’t be afraid, we stand together.” Even the United States have stepped in to place sanctions on the police of Iran, hoping to invoke some sort of hope and peacefulness to the citizens. The Supreme Leader has dismissed these protests as “riots” to the public and tried to brush them off as foreign plots. “The Islamic Republic’s collapse–while not inevitable–is no longer inconceivable.” Said Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst for the Carnegie Endowment. 

As information continues to pour into the mainstream media, other platforms are attempting to determine what is credible, as many people have been trying to imitate what is happening. Information coming in and out of the Islamic Republic is being extremely heavily monitored, so many may not even know about major events that occur. However, other reporters alike have been trying to provide as much information as possible to the public and will continue to do so.