Ali and Mohammad are standing at Istanbul airport, having just arrived from the Iranian capital Tehran. During the flight they sat next to each other and got acquainted. But only after arriving do they feel comfortable talking freely with each other.
Since Friday, Turkish Airlines has canceled flights to and from Tehran, officially due to “regional developments”. Only two Iranian airlines still fly to Istanbul. Ali and Mohammad (they do not want their surnames in the newspaper for security reasons, just like the other Iranians in this piece) had to rebook their flight to get out of the country.
Ali (30) will travel to Italy where he will work on a thesis as an electrical engineer. He talks about how dangerous it is to go out on the streets in Iran at night. “We know from previous protests that demonstrating can cost you your life. I don’t dare take that risk.”
Ali thinks the worst part is that he can no longer reach his family. The Iranian government has cut off internet and telephone traffic due to the mass demonstrations that have gripped Iran for two weeks. In this way, the authorities try to prevent demonstrators from communicating with each other. “Normally you inform your parents that you have arrived. I don’t want them to worry about whether I got out of the country safely.”
The Iranian regime is cracking down on demonstrations. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had initially struck a sympathetic tone toward people expressing dissatisfaction with the economy. On Sunday he made a U-turn on Iranian state television. He said he was working to solve economic problems but vowed “not to allow the rioters to destabilize the country.”
The police had weapons and used a lot of tear gas. The sound of shooting could be heard constantly
Police take tougher action
Mohammad (38) left Iran for Germany ten years ago; he speaks English with a German accent. He went back to his native country for the first time for a month. He finds it ironic that he ended up in the middle of the protests. “Ten years ago I protested during the green revolution,” he says. Then Iranians protested against the then elected ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “Now I have taken to the streets again to demonstrate in Tehran. The police had weapons and used a lot of tear gas. The sound of shooting could be heard constantly,” says Mohammad. He has collected messages from Iranians wanting to let their families abroad know that they are doing well. “I feel like a messenger in wartime.”
The police have taken tougher action at demonstrations in recent days, resulting in many deaths. According to Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), the death toll is more than 500, and the Iranian regime has arrested more than 10,000 protesters.
Verified videos of crowds at a morgue outside Tehran are circulating. It shows body bags lying on the ground outside. Iranians try to find their loved ones there with whom they can no longer get in touch.
Mohammad: “There are countless videos of people being shot, killed or injured. Those images will only come out later because the internet is down now. We saw pick-up trucks with machine guns to intimidate people. I don’t know how many people were killed, but there are a lot.”
I protest by teaching my students that they can choose their own religion or not believe at all
‘Be our voice in Europe’
Primary school teacher Somayeh (43) from Tehran makes an opposite move. She flies from Istanbul to Iran to reconnect with her parents. “My parents are heart patients, and I am worried.” She has never participated in anti-government protests, but she fully supports them. “I hate this regime. After 47 years, enough is enough.”
Since the protests against the mandatory headscarf in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, she no longer wears a headscarf on the street. “I protest by teaching my students that they can choose their own religion or not have to believe at all. I might get in trouble for that, but I don’t care,” she laughs.
Downstairs in the arrivals hall, Mohammad E. (26) is waiting for his girlfriend who has their suitcases. They travel to Italy to study renewable energy technology in Bologna. Mohammad E. tries in vain to reach his parents to let them know they have arrived safely. “I have many friends who are demonstrating, but I cannot reach them. I am especially worried about my family. My mother is terrified.”
As his girlfriend arrives with the suitcases, he notes that she has been crying the entire flight because she can no longer contact her family. Shortly afterwards she fills up again. Mohammad E.: “My friends and family told me: be our voice when you are in Europe.” And he says to the reporter: “And I want to ask you to be the voice of the people in Iran.”
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