2011–2012 Iranian protests
The 2011–2012 protests in Iran were a series of demonstrations in Iran which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region. Security forces quickly suppressed the demonstrations, resulting in two deaths and numerous injuries. Further protests followed, including on 20 February and 1 March, when the opposition reported around 200 arrests. Authorities subsequently managed to prevent large-scale demonstrations. The leaders of the Green Movement that had organized the protests, Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, were placed under house arrest in early 2011 and have remained out of public view, with some government supporters demanding their execution.
Background
Following the highly controversial 2009 Iranian presidential elections, massive protests erupted across Iran. The Iranian government suppressed the protests and stopped the mass demonstrations in 2009, with only very minor flare-ups in 2010. However, not many of the protesters' demands were met.Then, the Arab Spring spread across the West Asia and North Africa. After the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia on 14 January 2011, millions of people began demonstrating across the region in a broad movement aimed at various issues such as their standards of living or influencing significant reforms, with varying degrees of success. With the successful ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011 following that of President Ben Ali of Tunisia, renewed protests began in Iran.
2011 protests
On 27 January, the opposition group Green Movement of Iran announced a series of protests against the Iranian government scheduled to take place prior to the "Revolution Day" march on 11 February.On 9 February, various opposition groups in Iran sent a letter to the Ministry of Interior requesting permission to protest under the control of the Iranian police. Permission was refused by the relevant government officials. Despite these setbacks and crackdowns on activists and members of opposition parties, opposition leaders such as Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi called for protests. According to the BBC, protesters argued that Ahmadinejad's 2009 re-election as president was rigged.
Timeline
14 February
This date was chosen for protests to coincide with 25 Bahman, the 11th month of the Persian calendar, and was publicized as "The Day of Rage". The day before the protests were due to begin, opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi were placed under house arrest and denied access to telephones and the Internet. Their homes were blockaded and they were not allowed visitors. On 14 February 2011, thousands of protesters began to gather in a solidarity rally with Egypt and Tunisia. There was a large number of police on the streets to keep an eye on the protesters, but thousands were still able to gather together in Tehran's Azadi Square.The solidarity protests turned into an anti-government demonstration during which the police fired tear gas and paintballs at protesters. To protect themselves, protesters responded by setting fires in garbage bins. Video footage showed a man being violently beaten by a group of protesters. Two protesters were killed in Tehran, both university students. Sane Jaleh during the protest, and Mohammad Mokhtari the next day from his wounds. According to reporter Farnaz Fassihi, Jaleh and Mokhtari were both shot by men on motorcycles who their friends identified as Basij members.
Protests were also reported in the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz, which police forcibly dispersed, as well as in Rasht, Mashhad, and Kermanshah.
The protests that occurred on this day marked a setback for the government of Iran, as the regime had campaigned that Mousavi's Green Movement had lost momentum, but the revived uprisings helps proved otherwise.
According to some reports, 1,500 Hezbollah fighters assisted in the suppression of the protests in Azadi Square. Following the initial protests, Hezbollah fighters allegedly continued to participate, assisting local forces in suppressing protests.
15–16 February
Protests on 15 February were not as intense as the day before. On 16 February, there were sporadic clashes between protesters and pro-government forces. Karroubi and Mousavi responded to calls for their execution by saying they are willing to die in pursuit of a democratic change.Thousands of pro-government supporters turned up in Tehran for several state sponsored rallies on 16 February.
17–19 February
On 17 February, it was reported that opposition leader Mousavi had been missing since Tuesday, 15 February. Mousavi's daughters stated that they had had no contact with their father for over two days after security forces had put him under house arrest. His daughters feared that both Mousavi and their mother "had been detained". Mousavi's website stated that the "normal" guards that had been surrounding his home during his house arrest over the past week had been replaced with "masked security forces". Karroubi reported that one of his son's homes had been raided in an attempt to arrest his eldest son, but he was not in the building at the time.On 18 February, Iran organized pro-regime rallies, with thousands of pro-government supporters calling for the execution of opposition leaders after Friday prayers. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said that the opposition leaders had lost their reputation and are as good as "dead and executed". He said there should be more restrictions on Mousavi and Karroubi. "Their communications with people should be completely cut. They should not be able to receive or send messages. Their phone lines and Internet should be cut. They should be prisoners in their homes."
On 19 February, the Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar stated that the protests set for Sunday, 20 February, will "be confronted as per the law".
20 February
Protests were also planned for 20 February, to mark a week since the deaths of those killed in the 14 February protests.The Fars News Agency released a report in the morning warning that "armed opposition groups plan to shoot at people in protest rally set for Sunday afternoon." The government prohibited foreign media outlets based in Tehran from reporting on the protests, prompting the opposition to rely on social media as an alternative means of coverage. Protesters began gathering in the tens of thousands throughout Iran and especially in Tehran.
The protesters were seen occupying government buildings, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting building. However, extremely large numbers of police and plainclothes Basij militia were stationed throughout the city, even outnumbering the protesters in some of the city squares. Tear gas was fired and witnesses reported that security forces fired into protests and beat demonstrators with steel batons. In one neighborhood, Basij members reportedly took over a commercial building and dropped tear gas canisters from the roof onto protesters. Eyewitnesses reported that two protesters were killed by Basij paramilitaries, one each in the Vanak and Vali Asr squares. Police arrested a number of protesters and were seen stopping people on the streets and frisking them, along with removing people from vehicles.
The daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Faezeh Hashemi, was arrested for taking part in a banned rally. Shortly afterward, she was reportedly released. The Fars News Agency reported that she had been released after claiming that she was out shopping.
There were also reports of other protester demonstrations going on in other major cities across Iran. However, coverage by journalists was thin because the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security had "sent a letter to foreign media offices in Tehran warning them that their bureaus would be shut down and their reporters deported if they wrote 'negative articles' surrounding the opposition protests." While the protests were taking place, the IRNA news agency released television reports saying that things were "completely quiet and normal." Furthermore, the Fars News Agency had released reports to the public saying that the 20 February protests would be especially violent, because the "opposition plans to shoot people".
It was later reported by witnesses that demonstrations did take place in Isfahan and Shiraz, most of which were dispersed after being attacked by police and Basij militia. Five protesters were reportedly injured in Shiraz.