This is what you need to know about Iran

Iran has been rumbling for a month. Violent protests are shaking the country. After the violent death of Iranian Mahsa Amini († 22) in police custody, people across the country show their solidarity and take to the streets together.

Amini was arrested for allegedly wearing her headscarf incorrectly. It’s unclear what happened to Amini next in the clutches of the infamous vice squad. Presumably she fell into a coma and died. Since then, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Iran every day. Women publicly burn their headscarves or cut their hair in protest against the regime.

As house fires burn, the government jumps to Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine. The regime allegedly supplied weapons to Putin’s army. These include the infamous Shahed kamikaze drones, which the Russians have recently used to attack Ukrainian cities.

What does this mean for the country and the government? Blick clarifies the most important questions.

How are the protests going a month after they started?

Since the protests broke out in mid-September, the demonstrations have continued to expand. Initially, it was almost exclusively women who protested. People from all walks of life are now taking part. Initially, the protests centered around women’s rights and the abolition of Iran’s ruthless vice squad. In recent weeks, concerns have grown: now it is about the overthrow of the entire government around Head of State Ebrahim Raisi (61) and the establishment of a new, democratic system.

What does climber Elnaz Rekabi have to do with it?

Meanwhile, more and more celebrities have stepped up to show solidarity with the protesters. Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi (33) recently became publicly known. She waived the mandatory headscarf at the Asian Championship final – then disappeared. She posted an apology on her Instagram account, but observers say it should be forced. She has since returned to Tehran. It is not clear if she is being arrested. The government in Tehran denies such a plan.

What is the Iranian regime doing in light of the protests?

The government in Tehran is responding – but not in the form of political consequences, but with brute force. The security forces struck with rubber batons and even fired on crowds. More than 200 people, including children and young people, have been killed in the protests so far, according to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR). In addition, the Secret Service continues to kidnap protesters to infamous prisons outside major cities. There they are tortured and ill-treated.

What role does the internet play?

According to Iran expert Hamid Hosravi of the Asia-Oriental Institute at the University of Zurich, the internet plays an important role in Iran. About 60 percent of all Iranians are under the age of 25. “They have access to a modern, free world through social media, interact with young people in other countries and feel completely unrepresented by the Iranian government,” Hosravi said on the watch in early October.

In addition, especially at the beginning of the protests, the images of police brutality could be spread very quickly via social media. The Iranian government knows that too. That is why she repeatedly shuts down the internet in large parts of the country to prevent information and images from the demonstrations from being released into the world. Yet it is always possible to post photos and videos to show that the uprising continues.

How likely is an overthrow?

According to the expert Hosravic an overthrow is currently quite unlikely. “Because of the balance of power, an overthrow of the regime is not possible, because it still has the means for reprisals.” Moreover, because of the global political situation, Europe and the US would have “no” taken serious importance» to actively support the protest movement. “And because of the impending nuclear deal, Iran will likely get back the frozen funds, which will then flow directly into the repressive machine.”

Why is Iran providing weapons for the war in Ukraine?

Russia and Iran are not particularly close. “It’s about power and geopolitics. So you shouldn’t really talk about ‘friends’,” Maurus Reinkowski, a Turkey expert and professor of Islamic studies at the University of Basel, told Blick in July.

At the moment, the two countries are united mainly by their common hatred of the West, which is also reflected in the war in Ukraine. More arms deliveries will therefore follow, reports Reuters news agency.

However, expert Reinkowski doubts whether the two countries will be even closer in the future and work together on the big political stage. Instead, each head of state wants to derive some benefit from the “cooperation that can be terminated at any time”.