Freedom of expression and assembly play a fundamental role in any society and are considered essential pillars of a democratic society. They are also a necessary prerequisite for ensuring support for other fundamental rights of individuals. The freedom of citizens to hold protest gatherings and freely express their opinions nourishes dialogue that ultimately serves the entire community. These fundamental principles are explicitly mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights treaties. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights explicitly states that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Article 20 of this declaration also addresses these two issues, stating that “everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association” and “no one may be compelled to belong to an association.”

This is happening while thousands of people have been killed solely for peacefully exercising their right to protest against the killing of an innocent human being and the injustices they have faced over the years, being deprived of many of their fundamental rights. Additionally, a significant number of protesters have been unjustly persecuted or arbitrarily detained, with hundreds of them remaining unjustly imprisoned. Although in recent days, the government of the Islamic Republic has attempted to show leniency towards this protest movement by granting amnesty to some of the protesters, according to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, the detention of protesters and any extra-legal measures taken against them are unacceptable. Furthermore, unfortunately, after the protests against the killing of Mahsa Amini, a number of participants in the protests have been executed following unfair trials, and many others are at risk of being executed. The actions of the government of the Islamic Republic to suppress protesters have not ended there, and there are whispers from the media that the Islamic Consultative Assembly is attempting

But what is the reason for the restrictions that the Islamic Republic government is trying to impose on people under the general name of security? The answer to this question can be found in the events and protest movements that have taken place in recent years. On November 24, 2019, after the sudden and unannounced rationing of gasoline in Iran and a 200% increase in gasoline prices, a protest movement emerged that activated dormant fault lines of dissatisfaction in Iran. This protest movement, which was mainly started and followed by the economically disadvantaged, initially began as a reaction to the increase in gasoline prices and then turned into opposition to the regime. In this protest movement, despite people’s awareness of the government’s ruthless reactions to any form of protest, they took to the streets to show their opposition to the current situation and express their dissent. According to reports by international human rights organizations, in these protests, security forces of the Islamic Republic used tear gas and live ammunition to confront the protesters, resulting

The Islamic Republic government, drunk with power from suppressing the protest movement that had started due to the increase in energy prices, carried out a plan to cleanse the decision-making circle within the government. First, by disqualifying a wide spectrum of individuals who even had the slightest criticism of the government’s rule in the Islamic Republic, a parliament completely loyal to the initial power circle in the Islamic Republic was formed. With pressure and support from this power circle, controversial bills were presented in this parliament to restrict the free access of the Iranian people to information. The Protection Plan, presented by the so-called “one-handed” fundamentalist representatives in the 11th parliament, was in complete contradiction with the principle of freedom of information, which is supported by all international laws and the constitution of the Islamic Republic. This bill was one of the most controversial bills presented in the parliament, which caused widespread criticism in Iran and also from opponents of the Islamic Republic outside of Iran. Although the general framework of this bill had

With the rise of the Rouhani government, extremist groups in Iran found more opportunities to showcase themselves in social arenas. These groups, who benefit from unwritten immunities in the Islamic Republic, attempted to revive plans that had been temporarily put aside due to security considerations. One of these plans was the modesty and hijab plan. With the implementation of this plan, videos were shared on social media that sparked a lot of criticism from Iranian society and international organizations. The government’s response to these criticisms was denial and further restrictions on journalists and social activists covering these news. The Iranian government, considering the effectiveness of its behavior towards opponents, vigorously enforced this plan. However, the bitter news of an Iranian girl who had been arrested for not wearing hijab reignited the fire that had been smoldering for some time. With a report prepared by one of the brave Iranian journalists and shared with the public, a new wave of protests began in Iran, leading to a new protest movement that continues to this

One of the main differences between the recent protest movement and previous movements was the determination of the protesters to have their fundamental demands met, which are all mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Throughout these protests, the protesters tried to stand their ground against security forces in order to achieve their demands. This resistance led to the deaths of a large number of protesters, including many women and children. However, considering the government’s past experiences, their approach towards this new movement in Iran has been different. In addition to widespread suppression during the protests, the government severely restricted internet access and filtered Instagram and WhatsApp. Furthermore, the Islamic Republic government did not limit their actions to those present at the protests, but also extensively detained journalists and online activists. Based on the experience of past protest movements, which were sparked by economic issues, the message of this behavior by the Islamic Republic government was nothing but widespread suppression of the protesters. The Islamic Republic government was trying to brutally suppress the protesters in the absence of international public

The response of the Islamic Republic government to protesters led to widespread international reactions regarding the current situation in Iran. The European Union and European countries were among the first international actors to react to the events following the killing of Mahsa (Zina) Amini. The European Parliament, in accordance with the fundamental principles of the European Union, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and based on the global regime of human rights sanctions, adopted a resolution against the Islamic Republic. In this resolution, while expressing “solidarity with the Iranian youth, women, and men and support for peaceful protests in Iran,” the Islamic Republic government was asked to “stop further executions, officially suspend the death penalty with the aim of completely abolishing it, and release those who have been arrested in recent events.” The European Parliament also called on the international community and the European Union to use all means of communication with Iranian authorities to demand an immediate end to “the execution of protesters” and “the violent suppression of protests” and to

It seems that due to the Islamic Republic’s inability to stabilize the economic situation and its isolation, we will witness new protest movements in the near future that have the potential to turn into social movements. Unfortunately, there is no prospect for reforming this government and it resists any fundamental change. Therefore, if a social movement takes place in the near future, it may lead to a clearer prospect for a new revolution in Iran. Based on this, the writer of this text argues that despite the maneuvers of the leader of the Islamic Republic for pardoning some of the protesters, the government will impose stricter restrictions on this space due to the power of social media platforms in the virtual space in order to control it. Therefore, the Islamic Republic government will continue on the path of disrespecting the principles stated in articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.