Iranian citizens fight for human rights, not just a better economy
From the 2019 and 2020 fuel price protests to the Ayandeh bank collapse in late 2025, the latest set of protests in Iran are undoubtedly fueled by economic issues in the region. However, to pin the cause of these riots and protests onto a failing economy would disregard the human rights violations that Iranian citizens constantly face.
For decades, the Iranian regime has been accused countless times of violating human rights. For example, in the 1988 Prison Massacre, Iranian officials killed up to 5,000 political prisoners. Their methods of execution included torture, hanging, and shooting; all of which were inflicted against the prisoners due to their political stances. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran has experienced increased repression against political activism, so it is not surprising that widespread protests are finding its footing. Again, to say the current Iranian protests and riots are economically fueled is true, but Iran’s violent past shines a new light on the true extent of human rights violations that have systemically plagued every Iranian citizen.
Violations of human rights have only intensified in this year’s ongoing riots and protests. Just like in 1988, Iranian officials are being accused of killing thousands of Iranian citizens. Eyewitness accounts from inside Iran recall Iranian law enforcement firing into lines of peaceful protesters. The sheer amount of deaths from bullet wounds highlight how the government’s goal is to harm the protestors, not just shut down the protests. Sure, an economic revolution could stir this level of violence and agitation within a country, but comparing Iran’s current handling of the riots and protests to how Iran has acted in the past like the 1988 Prison Massacre, it’s clear there is a fundamental disregard for the human rights of Iranian citizens from their own government, something that extends far past Iranian economic discontent.
In addition to the Iranian regime’s heinous shootings, they have also taken coercive measures to contain riots, like shutting down the internet and involuntarily searching homes for satellite dishes to destroy any access to Starlink or other connective devices. This closes Iran’s digital borders and silences any citizens who want to spread information about what is going on. No one outside of Iran is able to know the actual death tolls, the extent of damage, or any other information about Iran because its government deliberately closed itself off from the rest of the world, likely trying to hide what is truly happening inside its borders. Despite this, anti-government protestors are still determined to fight back, with the destruction of mosques in retaliation to the conservative religious policies of Iran.
The Iranian economy has been unstable for years and is an issue, but the modern Iranian protests are fueled by more than just a struggling economy; it is fueled by the need for a new government that respects the human rights of its citizens. From shooting thousands of protestors and bystanders, to the deliberate shutdown of the internet, Iranian citizens are fighting not for just a stable dollar, but for a government that respects their lives and the rights that come with it.
