Two years ago, on September 16, 2022, the spark of protests over the killing of Mahsa Zhina Amini by the Iranian regime’s security forces ignited widespread demonstrations that spread across the country and brought significant changes to Iran.
Although that uprising was sparked by a single event, it was a strong reaction from the people fueled by accumulated societal pressures, continuing the protests of December 2017 and November 2019. It was a culmination of the Iranian people’s new democratic revolution after over four decades of continuous and resolute resistance, marked by the heaviest sacrifices and the most heroic acts, as they have repeatedly said “no” to the clerical regime.
According to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), during the nationwide uprising of 2022, which spanned over 282 cities, at least 750 people were killed and 30,000 arrested. In April 2023, the PMOI released the names and details of 675 of the martyrs of the uprising.
Now, two years after that uprising, it is time to answer the questions: What truths did the uprising reveal? What changes did it bring to Iran’s political and social landscape? And what paths did it illuminate for the Iranian people who are determined to overthrow this regime?
First, the world clearly saw that a regime, which has tried to portray itself as stable and a regional power through warmongering, terrorism, and missile and nuclear programs, is actually sitting on a powder keg and has no real support within Iranian society.
Everyone saw that the claim that the era of revolution in Iran is over and that revolution has no social support was a baseless myth propagated by the regime, its public and hidden propagandists, and the appeasement circles.
The uprising, with its widespread slogan “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Mullahs,” highlighted the clear stance of “Neither Shah nor Mullahs” and firmly established the people’s front against all forms of dictatorship.
The developments of the uprising primarily validated the authenticity and correctness of the Iranian Resistance’s strategy for overthrowing the regime. It also demonstrated that reliance on foreign support and expecting any form of compromise on resisting against the regime are merely illusions that ultimately benefit the regime.
With the widespread participation of brave women and girls—the main force of change—and their active presence on the frontlines of the uprising, one of the idealistic aspects of Iran’s democratic revolution, which is gender equality, was revealed. The leadership of women could be seen in their roles among the fighting revolutionaries and in the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” chanted in cities across the country.
Now, two years after the uprising, despite the repression, censorship, warmongering, and increasing executions aimed at stopping further uprisings, all the factors that led to the 2022 uprising have not only not diminished, but have become even more concentrated and severe.
Iran’s society, crushed by overwhelming economic pressures, inflation, and skyrocketing prices, has reached a boiling point. It is rare for a day to pass without various groups—from retirees and workers to nurses and those who have lost their savings—taking to the streets to protest. The slogans of these frustrated groups reflect a shift beyond mere economic grievances, with chants like, “Enough with warmongering, our tables are empty,” “Hussein is their slogan, lying and stealing is their job,” and “Let heads roll and lives be lost, but freedom will not be destroyed.”
Organized resistance and Resistance Units have grown and expanded significantly across Iran, focusing their anti-repression activities on paving the way for uprisings and guiding their spread.
Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei is more aware than anyone of the unresolved crises facing the regime and is more fearful than ever of the readiness of the people, the organized resistance, and another uprising. Therefore, he will not hesitate to commit any crime or atrocity against the people or use any trick or deception to prevent another uprising. However, the storm of rebellion is on the horizon that will bring an end to the current regime. The results of the 2022 uprising have set the future on a path toward a democratic revolution and the establishment of a democratic republic.