Revolutionary Guards celebrate anniversary of Islamic Revolution amid protests First successful test burn of SpaceX’s Starship giant rocket

Celebrations marking the 44th anniversary of the Islamic revolution have begun in Iran amid protests against the system. According to state broadcaster IRIB, millions of people are expected to attend state-organized Saturday rallies in the capital Tehran and other cities. At the end of the meetings, President Ebrahim Raisi will deliver a speech in Tehran.

In February 1979, an uprising led by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led to the collapse of the monarchy. This year, the anniversary of the Islamic revolution has been overshadowed by violent protests. Initially, as part of a women’s movement, they were directed against the Islamic headscarf, but then against the entire Islamic system. The demonstrators and the Iranian opposition at home and abroad are calling for secular democracy instead of the theocratic rule of the past four decades.

More than 500 people have been killed and nearly 20,000 demonstrators arrested since the systemic protests began last September, according to human rights activists. Iran’s head of state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pardoned tens of thousands of prisoners on the 44th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Among them would be protesters arrested during the recent wave of protests. (sda/dpa)