Protests in Iran 2017/2018

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Protests in Iran 2017/2018
Places of protests on December 28, 29 and 30, 2017
Places of protests on December 28, 29 and 30, 2017
date December 28, 2017 to January 4, 2018
place Iran
output
Parties to the conflict
  • Government opponent
  • Government critic
  • Oppositionists
  • students
Troop strength
up to 42,000 protesters
losses
21 dead
5 victims of torture in custody

over 1000 to 3700 arrests

The protests in Iran 2017/2018 ( Persian تظاهرات ۱۳۹۶ ایران) were nationwide protests that began in Mashhad due to economic problems and were supplemented by political demands. The reasons given were economic dissatisfaction and a lack of political changes. The surprising supraregional protests at the turn of 2017/2018 with tens of thousands of participants were considered the largest since those following the Iranian presidential elections in 2009 .

backgrounds

Religious hardliners in Mashhad called for a demonstration against Hassan Rouhani's economic policies in social networks . Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda , Friday preacher in Mashhad and representative of the supreme religious leader Ali Khamenei in the province of Razavi-Khorasan , is said to have approved the demonstration. The background is believed to be Alamolhoda's son-in-law Ebrahim Raissi , who was defeated by Rouhani in the 2017 presidential election . Ebrahim Raissi has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Iran's largest foundation (and largest landowner), Astana Quds Rezavi , since March 2016 , and is seen as a possible successor to Ali Khamene'i.

The composition of the demonstrating actors was different from 2009, the demonstrators especially younger and the potential for frustration higher. The unemployment rate among young people is estimated to be around 24 percent. Rouhani's most recently presented budget continues to provide cuts in aid programs for the poor, in line with recommendations from the IMF and World Bank . In addition, there is a lack of water and drought, especially outside the big cities, which severely affects those who try to earn an income from agriculture. Currently, about 11 million people in Iran live under the poverty line of the equivalent of 250  € .

At the end of 2017, the Rouhani government published figures on individual items in the state budget. The largest items in the budget are funds for religious institutions and foundations, as well as for the military and the Revolutionary Guard. Subsidies such as for gasoline - a liter of gasoline currently costs 0.36  US dollars - should be discontinued in the future. Citizens also received information about corruption, concealment and nepotism via social media . The agreement on the Iranian nuclear program that came into force in 2016 has brought no improvement for ordinary people. Despite the lifting of the sanctions, the USA, and in particular its new President Donald Trump , prevent international banks and large companies from doing business in and with Iran.

places

In contrast to 2009, protesters were relatively more often on the streets in poorer rural areas than in the metropolises. In medium-sized cities and small towns, it was more likely that a few hundred demonstrated, with a maximum of around 1000 protesters.

To the protest sites included Nishapur , Kashan , Kerman , Kermanshah , Kashmar , Rasht , Isfahan , Arak , Bandar Abbas , Ardabil , Qazvin , Hamadan , Sari , Bābol , Amol , Shahin Shahr , Shahr-e Kord , Shiraz , Khorramabad , Zanjan , Gorgan , Zahedan , Urmia , Dorud , Yazd and Schahrud .

Protests timeline

December 28, 2017

Protests broke out in Mashhad over corruption and rising prices, as well as Iran's costly involvement in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. The demonstrators shouted: "Not Gaza, not Syria, not Lebanon, we are only sacrificing ourselves for Iran". “We do not want the Islamic Republic”, “Death for Rouhani” and “Death to the dictator” were also heard. The first protests are said to have been triggered by increased prices for eggs and poultry products.

December 29, 2017

The demonstrations spread to the cities of Kermanshah , Shiraz , Sari , Rasht , Qazvin , Qom , Isfahan , Ahvaz and Hamadan .

December 30, 2017

Many students demonstrated at the University of Tehran on December 30th. According to the semi-official Fars news agency , they threw stones at police officers and shouted "Death to the dictator". What was meant was the spiritual leader Ali Khamene'i. The demonstrators also overturned a larger than life statue of the Supreme Religious Leader.

December 31, 2017

Protests on December 31st in Tehran .

According to government reports, two people were killed in the protests on the night of December 30th to 31st, 2017. They died in clashes in the city of Dorud , said Deputy Governor of Lorestan Province , Habibollah Khodschastehpur, on television. The slogans that the demonstrators shouted that day were: "The people beg, the clergy behave like gods" and "Death to the Taliban" ( marg bar taliban ). This refers to the Shiite clerics.

1st January 2018

On January 1, 2018, the Security Committee of the Majles Parliament met for an emergency meeting in the capital Tehran . Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli justified this by saying that it was no longer a question of protests, but of a popular uprising. The police will intervene consistently.

2nd January 2018

According to Bild.de, a traffic police post was set on fire in Kermanshah at night . Nobody was injured.

Counter-demonstration in Khorramabad with a poster of the leader Ali Chamene'i.

January 3, 2018

The Iranian government organized nationwide counter rallies a week after the demonstrations began. The motto of all demonstrations was “Down with Saudi Arabia”, “Down with Israel” and “Down with the USA”. The leadership of the Revolutionary Guard said that the series of protests against the government had ended.

The Iranian government filed a complaint with the UN Security Council about the US government because its interference was intended to encourage demonstrators to overthrow.

Protests outside of Iran

Protests on January 1st in front of the embassy in Geneva .

Austria

In Austria's capital Vienna , more than 100 people came together on January 1, 2018 on Stephansplatz to demonstrate against the Iranian regime. They also shouted: "Death of the dictatorship".

Germany

On the afternoon of January 2, 2018, up to 750 demonstrators took to the streets in front of the Iranian consulate general in Hamburg . The motto of the rally registered by the Labor Communist Party was "Freedom for Iran". On January 3, 70 to 75 supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran demonstrated in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin . Demonstrators also took to the streets in Cologne on January 3rd. On January 7th, up to 1,300 people from the National Council of Resistance of Iran gathered at Pariser Platz in Berlin to express their solidarity with the protests in Iran.

Reactions

inland

The state television said that the Iranians have the right to unemployment but also high food prices inflation to protest. But as soon as it becomes political, it could become dangerous. The protests, which began on Thursday, December 28, 2017, with demonstrations against inflation and Iranian economic policy , were later clearly critical of the regime and directed against the government.

The Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli threatened the regime critics and those involved, according to the ISNA news agency, with the words: "These gatherings are illegal, we cannot and will no longer tolerate them." The police must intervene consistently in further riots. Regarding the scale of the protests, he said that "at most 42,000 people were involved," and that is not a high number.

In one of his communications, President Hassan Rouhani stated that the protesters' problems had been heard; Iran is "a free country and therefore people also have the right to freedom of expression". He warned of "riots that endanger the security of the country and people". Rohani's vice president, Eshagh Dschahangiri , blamed religious hardliners for the protests allegedly fueling the protests in Mashhad to harm the more moderate president.

For the supreme religious leader Ali Khamene'i, according to a statement published on state television, the protests were controlled by "foreign powers". The Friday preacher of Tehran, Ayatollah Ahmad Chatami , described the protests as an "American-Israeli conspiracy".

For the Iranian admiral and Secretary of the National Security Council Ali Shamchani , the protests were a "proxy war". According to the analyzes of the Security Council, 27 percent of all new hashtags were generated by the Saudi government.

foreign countries

Press reviews

Germany

  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung : "The protests in Iran, which have gripped the whole country in the past five days, have so far neither been a revolution, nor are they forming a large new opposition movement."
  • Stuttgarter Zeitung : "In contrast to the last uprising in 2009 by the green movement, this time the rural population is noticeably involved in the protests."
  • Augsburger Allgemeine : "Irrespective of the current unrest, Iran will have to redefine its role."
  • Frankfurter Rundschau : "Nobody can say how things will continue, even if the ground fluctuates under the Islamic Republic."

International

  • Tages-Anzeiger ( Switzerland ): "In the face of increasing violence and human rights violations, keeping silent is not an option either."
  • Der Standard ( Austria ): "Hardly any expert believes that the protests will lead to an upheaval in the foreseeable future."
  • Politiken ( Denmark ): "Both the Iranians and the rest of the Middle East have enormous potential that has been suppressed for too long."
  • The Times ( UK ): "Europeans should rethink their Iran policy."
  • De Telegraaf ( Netherlands ): "The demonstrators are mainly angry workers who, contrary to all promises made by President Hassan Ruhani, could not benefit from the lifting of sanctions through the nuclear deal."
  • Sabah ( Turkey ): "The Gezi provocations are now also on the 'stage' of Iran."

Internet censorship and bans

In the first days of the protests, many Iranians generally did not have internet access because the authorities had blocked it. On December 31, 2017, the Iranian government also blocked the social networks Telegram and Instagram from mobile access. Telegram can be reached via VPN and is used a lot.

The number of Tor users increased during the protests .

Web links

Commons : Protests in Iran 2017/2018  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tehran speaks of 42,000 demonstrators. In: n-tv.de. Retrieved January 4, 2018 .
  2. ↑ zeit.de
  3. ^ Social media: renewed protests in Iran. In: welt.de , accessed on January 3, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b Khamenei blames foreign countries for unrest. In: zeit.de , January 2, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018.
  5. ↑ amnesty.org.uk Iran: authorities must investigate five deaths in custody following protest crackdown (accessed January 12, 2018)
  6. ↑ zeit.de MP reports 3,700 arrests during protests (accessed on January 10, 2018)
  7. ↑ Iranians protest against high prices in Mashhad. In: bbc.com. December 28, 2017, accessed January 3, 2018 .
  8. ↑ a b Ali Sadrzadeh: Protests in Iran. A boomerang for the hardliners. In: Qantara.de , January 2, 2018, accessed January 3, 2018
  9. ^ Predicting the Unpredictable in Iranian Politics. In: stratfor.com , accessed January 3, 2018
  10. ↑ Interview with Adnan Tabatabai: Who Protests in Iran? In: Deutschlandfunk Kultur , January 3, 2018, 7:40 a.m., 7:03 minutes, accessed on January 3, 2018
  11. ↑ Alexander Sarovic: Anger in spite of the boom. Why the economic situation is driving Iranians onto the streets. In: Spiegel.de , January 3, 2018, 11:19 a.m., accessed on January 3, 2018
  12. ↑ iranjournal.org Millions Below the Poverty Line (accessed January 9, 2018)
  13. ↑ globalpetrolprices.com (accessed January 9, 2018)
  14. ↑ The anger stayed. In: tagesschau.de , January 5, 2018, accessed on January 6, 2018
  15. ↑ Bahman Nirumand : Iran Report 1/2018 (accessed on January 12, 2018)
  16. ↑ a b Christian Buttkereit: @mediasres. In: Deutschlandfunk , January 3, 2018, 15:35, 5:29 minutes
  17. ^ Protests in Iran. A comparison between 2009 and today. In: handelsblatt.com , January 3, 2018, accessed January 4, 2018.
  18. ↑ Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Emma Graham-Harrison: Iranians chant 'death to dictator' in biggest unrest since crushing of protests in 2009. In: theguardian.com , December 31, 2017, accessed on January 3, 2018
  19. ^ Government critics - Violent protests in Iran. In: handelsblatt.com , December 30, 2017, accessed January 3, 2018
  20. ↑ Iranians protest against high prices in Mashhad. In: bbc.com , December 28, 2017, accessed January 3, 2018
  21. ↑ The resentment ignited the egg price - what's going on in Iran? In: Stern.de , accessed on January 4, 2018
  22. ↑ Updated: Second day of protests in Iran. In: rudaw.net , December 29, 2017, accessed January 3, 2018
  23. ↑ a b c Protests critical of the government Iran restricts access to Internet services. In: spiegel.de , December 31, 2017, accessed January 3, 2018
  24. ↑ a b c Patricia Schäfer: Demonstrations in Iran - The dangerous protest. In: zdf.de , December 31, 2017, accessed on January 3, 2018
  25. ↑ Kersten Knipp: Unrest in Iran - The spirit out of the bottle: Protest in Iran. In: dw.de , December 31, 2017, accessed on January 3, 2018
  26. ↑ a b c Chamenei sees "enemies of Iran" behind protests. In: sueddeutsche.de , January 2, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  27. ↑ Thousands demonstrate for Iran's regime. In: spiegel.de , accessed on January 3, 2018
  28. ↑ Iran's Revolutionary Guards claim protests over. CNN, accessed January 4, 2018 .
  29. ^ Letter to UN: Iran complains about US interference. The Iranian government criticizes the United States at the United Nations. Their interference should encourage demonstrators to overthrow. In: Die Zeit , January 4, 2018, 12:14 am
  30. ^ Protests against the regime in Iran also in Vienna. In: derstandard.at , January 1, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  31. ↑ Demonstrators demand "freedom for Iran". In: ndr.de , January 2, 2018, accessed January 3, 2018
  32. ^ Protest against the Iranian leadership at the Brandenburg Gate. Süddeutsche Zeitung , January 3, 2018, accessed on August 26, 2020 .
  33. ↑ Iranian protests reach Germany. In: tagesschau.de , January 3, 2018, accessed on January 6, 2018
  34. ↑ Hundreds demonstrate in Berlin against the leadership in Iran. In: bz-berlin.de. Retrieved January 6, 2018 .
  35. ↑ Tehran speaks of 42,000 demonstrators. In: n-tv.de. Retrieved January 4, 2018 .
  36. ↑ At least ten dead in protests - Ruhani admits "shortcomings". In: tagesspiegel.de , January 1, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  37. ↑ Luisa Hommerich: Demonstrations critical of the regime in Iran Just a spark. In: spiegel.de , January 1, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  38. ↑ Leading cleric speaks of American conspiracy. In: zeit.de , accessed on January 5, 2018
  39. ↑ Recent riots result of foreign proxy war against Iran: Shamkhani. In: presstv.com , January 2, 2018, accessed January 3, 2018
  40. ↑ EU demands the right to freedom of expression. In: deutschlandfunk.de , January 2, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  41. ↑ Protests against the government - Federal Foreign Office appeals to Iran. In: zdf.de , December 31, 2017, accessed on January 3, 2018
  42. ↑ Sabine Siebold: INTERVIEW-Greens are calling for a tougher German approach to Iran. In: reuters.com , January 2, 2018, accessed January 3, 2018
  43. ↑ Macron calls on Rouhani to restrain. In: faz.net , accessed on January 3, 2018
  44. ^ Rouhani calls on Macron to act over anti-Iran 'terrorists' in France. In: timesofisrael.com , accessed January 3, 2018
  45. ↑ Amir Loghmany: Wave of protests with more than 20 dead hits Iran's government unprepared. In: derstandard.at , January 2, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  46. ↑ İran'daki more sterile kim, ne dedi? In: trthaber.com , January 2, 2018, accessed January 3, 2018
  47. ↑ Russia against foreign intervention in Iran. In: trt.net.tr , January 2, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  48. ↑ Khamenei sees Iran's enemies behind protests. In: welt.de , January 2, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  49. ↑ No: 1, 2 January 2018, Press Release regarding ongoing protests in Iran ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: mfa.gov.tr , accessed on January 3, 2018 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mfa.gov.tr
  50. ↑ British Foreign Minister Johnson calls for debate in Iran. In: stern.de , January 2, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  51. ↑ Internet block "not good": Trump again criticizes the Iranian leadership. In: n-tv.de , January 1, 2018, accessed on January 3, 2018
  52. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Demonstrations: Revolution? Opposition movement? This is how the international press assesses the protests in Iran. In: stern.de , January 3, 2018, accessed on January 6, 2018
  53. ↑ Giriş Tarihi: Gezi provokasyonu şimdi İran'da sahnede. In: sabah.com.tr , January 3, 2018, accessed January 6, 2018 (Turkish)
  54. ↑ Users - Tor Metrics. Retrieved January 3, 2018 .