Middle East & Africa | All the mullahs’ bullets

Despite lethal repression, Iran’s protests continue

The loyalty of the army has yet to be tested

A woman walks past of a mural depicting members of Iran's Basij volunteer paramilitary force, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018. Tens of thousands of Iranians took part in pro-government demonstrations in several cities across the country on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported, a move apparently seeking to calm nerves after a week of protests and unrest that have killed at least 21 people. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Oct 12th 2022

Every evening at 10pm Mahvash, a university student, opens the window of her fifth-floor flat and starts yelling. Neighbours take up her refrain of “Women, Life, Freedom!”. Soon her chants against Iran’s theocracy echo from block to block above the riot police below—and across Tehran, the capital. Some protesters wear masks to avoid identification. Many switch off the lights. Almost all the voices are women’s. “Blood that is spilled unfairly will boil until the end of time,” runs an old Persian saying, now back in fashion.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “All the mullahs’ bullets”