2021–2022 Iranian protests

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2021-2022 Iranian protests
Part of 2016–2022 Iranian protests and Water crisis in Iran
Date	15 July 2021 – present
Location	Various cities across Iran
Caused by	Frequent power blackouts Severe water shortages Government's mismanagement of the scarce water resources[1] Excessive and unresearched dam constructions over the rivers of Karoon, Maroon, Dez and Karkheh River, leading to water shortages downstream.[1] Drying of the Iranian side of Hoor-ol Azim marshlands. Governmental recklessness towards the well-being of nature and the ecosystems nationwide. Economical crisis caused by and maintained by regime's foreign policy[2] Opposition to Anti-Americanism in Iran[3]
Goals	Availability of clean water for people of Khuzestan An end to the power outages nationwide Deposition of the Supreme Leader[4] Overthrow of the Islamic Republic[5] De-Khomeinization
Methods	Demonstrations Riots Roadblocks and Barricades
Status	Ongoing
Parties to the civil conflict
Iranian protesters Islamic Republic NAJA Artesh IRGC Basij Plainclothes[6] Riot police Hashd Al-Sha'abi
Lead figures
No centralised leadership Ali Khamenei Ebrahim Raisi (from 3 August) Hassan Rouhani (until 3 August) Ahmad Vahidi (from 3 August) Abdolreza Fazli (until 3 August) Hossein Ashtari
Casualties
Death(s)	11+ (5 confirmed) 10 protesters 2 police
Arrested	100+
Protests are still ongoing so casualties and arrests may differ

The 2021 Iranian protests are ongoing protests in Iran, in many regions, to protest the ongoing water shortages and blackouts of electricity all over Iran, fuelling public anger. Protests erupted on 15 July to protest the water shortages and crisis, but soon was met with police violence and brutality. The protests has been dubbed Uprising of the Thirsty.^[7]

The protests started on 15 July in Khuzestan in response to the water crisis, but they quickly spread to other provinces and turned political in nature, with protesters in various cities calling for the end of the current regime.^[8] In August 2021 Amnesty International noted that brutal forces have been used by Iran's Security Force to oppress the protesters.^[9]

Protests[]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2021)

15-18 July[]

Massive gunfire was used to disperse crowds of people in many areas, like Susangerd. In Hamidiyeh, there was a heavy police presence as 300+ people started rallies chanting "I Am Thirsty!".^{[10][failed verification]}

On 16 July, street protests continued, with thousands and thousands of demonstrators marching on the streets of Ahvaz, Mahshahr, Bushehr and Bostan. According to media sources, one person was killed during protests in southeastern Iran by gunfire.^{[11][failed verification]} The next day, hundreds of videos circulated online from citizens journalists and media sources from the protest marches, like in Kut-e Abdollah, Karkheh and Shush, where regime forces opened fire on the protesters, killing three people. Gunshots could be heard in other cities as tens of thousands of protesters marched and set vehicles on fire as they chanted anti-government slogans.^[12]

On July 18, a policeman was shot dead by protestors.^[13]

20-21 July[]

On 20 July, protesters rallied in the cities of Ahvaz, Esfahan, Tehran, Ramhormoz, Khuzestan, Shadegan and Bushehr. Thousands gathered outside governor’s offices in those areas and clapped and danced. There were children among them. Car tires in Ahvaz were burnt as police tried to quell a demonstration with bullets.^{[citation needed]}

By the 21st of July, the marches escalated into deadly violence. One protester was killed during a clash in Ahvaz as rallies in Esfahan, Yazdanshahr and Susangerd became increasingly violent. Demonstrators in Masjed Soleyman chanted, “Police, support us,” a reference to local concerns about security forces cracking down harshly on earlier rallies. Social media videos that appeared to be from protests in Izeh showed protesters chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Reza Shah, bless your soul” as gunshots flared in the background. VOA could not verify the claims. “Death to Khamenei” has been a common refrain of Iranian anti-government protesters angered by the authoritarian rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in recent years. “Reza Shah, bless your soul” also has been uttered in previous waves of Iranian street protests as a in a minor attempt to show affection toward the founder of the nation’s former monarchy, Reza Shah. Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, ousted Reza Shah’s son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from power in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.^[14]

22 July[]

In recent days, Persian-language media based abroad have broadcast videos showing protests in Ahvaz, Hamidiyeh, Izeh, Mahshahr, Shadegan and Susangerd

Chants like "I am thirsty, Reza Shah bless his soul" were voiced as thousands continued to protest in Mahshahr, Susangerd, Izeh, Shush and Bandar Abbas on 22 July, with gunshots becoming apparent. A viral video was posted with a woman asking a police officer why they are shooting at the demonstrators.^{[citation needed]} Another fatality was reported as a man was shot, taken to hospital but was confirmed to be dead. Internet services have also been reported to have been disrupted in the region, as Tehran’s residents protested in support of the Khuzestanis. A group of women chanted slogans on the Tehran Metro. Fires were lit as seven protesters were confirmed dead.^[15]

23-31 July[]

By 14 July, over 100 protesters were reported to have been detained. In Ahvaz, protesters blocked a roadside and a highway to protest water scarcity. Flames rose in Susangerd and Lorestan during protests.^[16]

On 24 July, significant protests took place in the northwest city of Tabriz in solidarity with the protests in Khuzestan.^[17][18] They were chanting "Death to the Dictator" in support of the protesters back in Khuzestan. Meanwhile, in Ahvaz, Shadegan and Mahshahr, more major protests occurred, as well as protests in Lorestan and Aligudarz. Police opened fire on demonstrators in Shadegan and Mahshahr today, with a funeral of a protester held in Izeh. Anti-government protests reportedly broke out in neighbouring Zanjan to protest the use of force against water protesters in Ahvaz and Aligudarz.^{[citation needed]}

People gathered and protested were reported in Saqqez in Iranian Kurdistan.^[19] Protests also continued in Khuzestan Province and in East Azerbaijan Province. Heavy Security was also reported in Tabriz, and witnesses spotted protesters getting blindfolded.^[20]

Protests reached Iran's capital, Tehran.^[21] Also elsewhere in Karaj people protested; employees of the Khomeini Hospital in Karaj marching on the streets to demand their unpaid wages and in objection to their economic woes. For the 3rd day in Izeh protests also continued there.

September 2021[]

From 6-7 September, massive rallies protested the bad economic situation in Iran.^[22]

November 2021[]

By November the number of female demonstrators had heavily increased.^[23]

From November 9-27 crowds of 2,000-3, 000 Iranians in Isfahan gathered to hold demonstrations against water shortages, which increasingly grew violent over time. On November 27, the Islamic Republic employed large amounts of riot police as they arrested 67 protesters, breaking up the protests.^[24]

2022[]

On February 1, 2022, thousands of teachers across the country performed a one-day strike after three consecutive days of protests.^[25] The next day, a policeman was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker. Military officer Hossein Ashtari proposed a new law that would make it easier for police officers to use firearms, prompting worries that such a practice could provide a license to police brutality against civilians.^[26]

See also[]

• 2011 Khuzestan protests
• 2018 Khuzestan protests
• 2018 Iranian water protests
• 2019–2020 Iranian protests

References[]