Jan 5, 2026, 10:19 p.mJan 5, 2026, 10:19 p.m
According to activists, at least 29 people have now died in the ongoing protests in Iran. In the course of the nationwide demonstrations against the authoritarian government, more than 1,200 people were arrested, reported the US-based human rights network HRANA. Two members of the security forces are said to be among the dead.
Iranians protest against their government.Image: keystone
According to the activists, there have been protest demonstrations in at least 88 cities in the past few days. Demonstrations were reported nationwide in 27 of the 31 provinces. After security forces took violent action, especially in rural areas, the demonstrations again reached metropolises such as Tehran and Mashhad.
The protests were triggered more than a week ago by a shock on the Iranian foreign exchange market, which spontaneously drove angry traders into the streets in Tehran. However, the demonstrations quickly turned into political protest, which – as in the past – was harshly pursued by the state. On Monday, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary announced it would proceed without leniency.
According to HRANA, students have joined the protests at at least 17 universities nationwide. At the university in Birdsand, capital of South Khorasan province, there were violent arrests on campus on Monday evening, as the well-known university newspaper Amir-Kabir reported. (hkl/sda/dpa)