Led largely by women and youth, anti-government protests in Iran have evolved from spontaneous mass gatherings in central areas to scattered demonstrations in residential areas, schools and universities as activists try to evade an increasingly brutal crackdown.
Growing up under a repressive system, Sharo, a 35-year-old university graduate, never thought she would hear words of open rebellion spoken out loud. Now she herself chants slogans like "Death to the Dictator!" with a fury she didn't know she had, as she joins protests calling for toppling the country's rulers.
The anti-government protests in Sanandaj, 300 miles from the capital, are a microcosm of the leaderless protests that have roiled Iran. The activists in the city spoke on the condition their full names be withheld fearing reprisals by Iranian authorities. Their accounts were corroborated by three human rights monitors.Three weeks ago, the news of the death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in Tehran spread rapidly across her home province of Kurdistan, of which Sanandaj is the capital. The response was swift in the impoverished and historically marginalized area.
Rozan, a 32-year old housewife, didn't know Amini personally. But when she heard the young woman had died in the custody of the morality police in Tehran and had been arrested for violating the Islamic Republic's hijab rules, she felt compelled to take to the street that day. Dunya, a lawyer, said she was one among a small group of women's rights activists who helped organize protests. They also asked shopkeepers to respect a call for a commercial strike along the city's main streets.Internet blackouts made it difficult for protesters to communicate with one another across cities and with the outside world.
Protesters say fear is a close companion. The wounded were often reluctant to use ambulances or go to hospitals, worried they might get arrested. Activists also suspected government informants were trying to blend in with the crowds."I assure you the protests are not over," said Sharo. "The people are angry, they are talking back to the police in ways I have never seen."The anger runs deep.
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