Iran protester: ‘You know that you might never come back’
Protests in Iran are continuing despite a crackdown by security forces that one human rights group says has killed at least 201 people. The unrest erupted in response to the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman detained by the morality police for allegedly breaking the strict hijab rules. There are heavy restrictions on independent and foreign reporting in the country. But the BBC Today programme’s Nick Robinson was able to interview Fawaz – not his real name – who has been protesting on the streets in Tehran. The atmosphere is quite tense and yet it is exciting. People are hopeful this time and we hope that a real change is just around the corner. I don’t think people are willing to give up this time. Now, we are seeing women in the street who are not wearing a hijab. They are walking past and people are quite supportive. Drivers in the street honk whenever they see a woman is not covered up. They don’t cover up their heads.
Usually, the protests start in the evening, in the afternoon. And they are in different locations in a city, so people do not just gather round in one specific area. If you just go out, you can hear cars honking. In some parts, people are out in the street. They are protesting against the security forces. And at night, the people who do not want to leave their houses are shouting slogans like “down with the dictator” out of their windows. You can hear some sort of protest everywhere, almost every night. That feels good, that feels really good.(BBC)…[+]