Iran: A timeline of mass protests since 1999

Iran has been witnessing a fresh wave of mass protests across the country in recent weeks. While the demonstrations were triggered by rising public anger over the skyrocketing prices of basic goods, they also reflect the growing disenchantment among ever-larger sections of society with the Islamic Republic's political system.

Activists say over 2,000 people have been arrested during the ongoing protests. At least 34 demonstrators have been killed, according to the US-based human rights network HRANA.

Many fear the theocratic regime could deploy the police and the Basij — a volunteer paramilitary faction controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — to forcefully clamp down on the protesters.

The IRGC, one of the most powerful organizations in Iran, is a branch of the Iranian armed forces that answers directly to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Created after the 1979 revolution, its task is to defend the Islamic regime.

The IRGC and Iranian police have plenty of experience in brutally suppressing mass anti-government demonstrations, including in recent times.

In the summer of 1999, the Iranian government shuttered the reform-oriented newspaper Salam.

The move prompted students to hold peaceful protests in the capital Tehran.

On the night of July 8, however, security forces stormed a student dormitory, killing at least one student.

The operation sparked nationwide protests that lasted several days.

Basij militias then launched a violent crackdown against the demonstrators. At least four more people were killed, some students disappeared without a trace, and between 1,200 and 1,400 people were arrested.

A decade later, in 2009, Iran once again faced mass protests.

The unrest was sparked by a controversial presidential election. Regime critics disputed the victory of the then-president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, and claimed widespread electoral fraud.

Millions of Iranians took to the streets in protest. Social media played a major role in mobilizing the crowds, resulting in the movement being dubbed a "Twitter revolution."

But the regime rejected a repeat election, tightened censorship and cracked down on the demonstrators.

Dozens of people lost their lives, thousands were arrested. The months-long movement eventually ended without success.

Another ten years later, in November 2019, sudden protests erupted across Iran following an abrupt jump in fuel prices. The rallies, which quickly spread to more than 20 cities, began peacefully with economic demands serving as the focal point.

However, anti-regime voices grew stronger, including and there were increasingly vocal calls to overthrow Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Authorities responded by shutting off the internet and with another violent crackdown. The events went down in the country's recent history as "Bloody November."

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In September 2022, 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being arrested by "morality police" for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. In Iran, women are required to wear headscarves in public.

Amini's death triggered mass protests under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom." The protesters, many of them young people, demanded more rights for women.

The government responded by launching another wave of repression, with security forces firing live ammunition at demonstrators. Thousands of people were arrested and many were killed.

Dozens of young protesters were sentenced to death in summary trials. Even so, the protests continued for months and posed one of the greatest challenges to the Islamic Republic in decades.

Dissatisfaction with the Iranian regime is a common thread connecting these protest movements.

Instead of tackling the underlying political, economic, and social problems, the government has often used its security apparatus to suppress dissent.

And while the regime has managed to cling to power, the latest wave of protests shows that these deep-seated issues can resurface at any time and fuel fresh resistance in Iran.

This article was originally written in German.