Reports indicate that protests reignited in Iran on Saturday, as students clashed with the Basij militia at least on seven university campuses, with the unrest spilling into Sunday.
This marks the first significant wave of protests since the tragic crackdown last month, during which thousands of citizens lost their lives.
These demonstrations arose from efforts to honor the victims of a brutal state response, in which estimates suggest over 7,000 individuals were killed, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The Iranian government, however, reported a significantly lower death toll of 3,117 as of January 21 and has not updated that figure since.
Some human rights advocates argue that the actual fatalities could be much higher than what HRANA suggests. Although President Donald Trump stated on Friday that at least 32,000 lives were lost, he did not provide a source for that claim.
On Saturday, the gathering of students, primarily there to mourn, transformed into chants against the regime, including the 2022 protest rallying cry “Women, Life, Freedom,” and “Death to Khamenei.” Tensions escalated as demonstrators clashed with pro-regime students, many of whom were tied to the Basij paramilitary force.
Security forces intervened at Ferdowsi University in Massad, a location previously central to protests. At Tehran University, administrators cautioned students to tread carefully, stating they wouldn’t intervene if the regime took violent action.
Al Jazeera noted that state media tended to overlook the protests against the regime, instead highlighting counter-protesters expressing loyalty to Khamenei and burning U.S. flags. A few mentions of the anti-regime demonstrations dismissed participants as “fake students.”
The state media described Saturday’s memorial gathering as a tribute to “victims of recent foreign-backed violence,” rather than those killed by the regime. The regime maintained that the protesters were not mourning their dead but celebrating actions taken during the uprising.
Omid Memarian, a researcher at DAWN, remarked that students felt emboldened to protest as the regime seems weakened by potential military threats from the U.S.
“Students see the contradiction: the government looks strong internationally, yet they’re fragile domestically,” Memarian stated.
“The authorities can’t rely on the threat of war forever to stifle dissent,” he concluded.
The National Council of Iranian Resistance (NCRI) reported that protests in Abdanan on Sunday forced the release of Yagoub Mohammadi, a teacher arrested by government agents the day before.
Demonstrators in Abdanan reportedly overwhelmed a security blockade, chanting “Yaghoub, we love you!” Even after the prosecutors’ demand that they refrain from idolizing him, the protesters disregarded the request.
Continuing protests occurred for the third consecutive day on Monday at six university campuses, including Tehran University. Students aimed to bypass the regime’s information control by sharing videos of the demonstrations online.
