Letters | Why some Iranians support US sanctions even though they bear the costs

Name: Iran’s death toll mounts as protest continues
Uploaded: 2020-10-01T22:05:15.000Z
Duration: 1 min 47 s
Description: Iran’s death toll mounts as protest continues

Reading Time:2 minutes

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Iranian protesters hold flowers as riot police fire tear gas during a demonstration in front of Tehran’s Amir Kabir University on January 11. Protests broke out for a second night in a row after Iran admitted to having shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet by mistake on January 8, killing all 176 people on board. Photo: AFP

Letters

Published: 6:05am, 2 Oct 2020Updated: 6:05am, 2 Oct 2020

Many Iranians’ comments on social media feeds illustrate one shocking point: despite all the pressures US President Donald Trump is imposing on Iran, many Iranians like him, and verbally support his stance on their government after 41 years of being repressed by the regime.

Since the massive protests in January 2018, a new slogan, “bread, job, freedom”, has been used by different sections of society, from teachers and retirees to university students and factory workers. This three-word slogan perfectly highlights the unmet needs of different Iranian social classes who have expressed their dissatisfaction in every way they can. But what has been the government’s response every time people ask for change?

Even the most peaceful protests have always triggered widespread arrests, imprisonments, torture and even executions. Last month, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler arrested during the protests in September 2018 in Shiraz was executed, provoking widespread shock and mourning.

About two months ago, when Iranians started trending the hashtag #DoNotExecute to save the lives of Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi, three other young men who were arrested in the protests in November 2019, the government relented, suspending their execution.

But, just as Iranians felt their solidarity was pushing the government to adjust to society’s demands, Afkari was executed. And then, Moradi’s father committed suicide on September 27 due to the pressures he and his whole family have faced in the last few months.

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Iran’s death toll mounts as protest continues

Iranians have tried every possible way, from signing petitions, peaceful protests, hunger and labour strikes, but the government’s reaction to these actions has been either negligence or punishment. Iranian youth have been without hope for so long. With the economy collapsing, they have forgotten how to dream of a prosperous life or even, in some cases, a normal life.