NEWS CENTER – Protests that began on 28 December in Iran and Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan) have entered their 15th day. Millions of people, particularly in Tehran, continue to remain in the streets across many cities.

 

Protests in Iran and Rojhiat are continuing into their 15th day with the support of broad segments of society. Across the country, people remain in action day and night. Last night, millions took to the streets in dozens of cities throughout Iran and Rojhilat, including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Qazvin, Rasht, Qom and Urmia.

 

Due to ongoing internet shutdowns across the country, it has become nearly impossible to access real-time and verified information. Independent human rights organizations report facing serious difficulties in collecting data from the field. Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run television channels have provided no information regarding the scale of the protests.

 

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN THE STREETS IN TEHRAN 

 

Last night, reports indicated that approximately 500 thousand people took to the streets in Tehran and refused to leave public squares. In the capital, protesters set fire to posters of Qassem Soleimani. Hundreds of thousands who gathered at Punak Square marched toward state institutions chanting slogans such as, “This country will not be free until the mullahs wear shrouds.”

 

PROTESTS IN MASHHAD AND TABRIZ 

 

Anti-regime protests have resumed in Tabriz, Iran’s fourth-largest city. In Mashhad, the country’s second-largest city and a site considered sacred in the Shiite world, hundreds of thousands reportedly set fire to regime-affiliated institutions. Protesters declared that demonstrations would continue until the Iranian regime is overthrown.

 

In Ahvaz, women once again took to the front lines of the protests chanting “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Women, Life, Freedom). Reports also indicate that the uprising is steadily growing in Kurdish cities. In the Derah Derij area of Kermanshah, local sources state that residents have not left the streets since the first days of the uprising.

 

Meanwhile, revolutionary organizations in Iran called for last night’s marches to move toward Evin Prison. The calls emphasized slogans such as, “A real revolution frees prisoners, let us go and tear down the walls.”

 

FIVE KURDISH CIVILIANS MURDERED 

 

Mass protests continue in Kermanshah. Local sources report that Iranian regime forces carried out a direct attack on protesters in the Dareh Derazeh neighborhood, resulting in the murdering of five Kurdish civilians: Keywan Rezayi, Yasin Mirzayi, Behroz Safeyi, Saman Nazari and Sayyad Faramarzi.

 

At least 50 people were reportedly injured in the same attacks. The names of three injured individuals, Aram Fathi, Mohammad Miri and Afshar Nejati, have been confirmed. It was also reported that Aram Fathi was abducted by Iranian regime forces while wounded, and no information has been received about his whereabouts since.