NCRI-US Staff, 22 April 2018
On April 17, 2018, a new wave of protests broke out in Iran in the cities of Baneh, Marivan, Saqqez, Javanrud, Sardasht, Kazerun, Saman, Ahvaz, Rasht, and Tehran. The demonstrators protested against Iran’s warmongering in neighboring countries, the water crisis in Isfahan, the arrest of countless protestors from the December/January uprisings, and the government’s non-response to demands about inflation and unemployment.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), called on international organizations to cooperate with Resistance efforts to secure the release of those detained during the uprisings in Ahvaz and Isafahan. Mrs. Rajavi lauded the unity of the Kurdish, Arab, and Baluchi people in their protests against the ruling regime.
On April 16, 2018, the families of arrested protesters staged demonstrations in Ahvaz outside of the Governor’s Office and the office of the Majlis (Parliament) Deputy. Hundreds of demonstrators were arrested, including children as young as eleven.
The following day, in Kazerun, thousands of merchants staged demonstrations for the second day in the city’s main square and refused to open their shops. In the cities of Baneh, Marivan, Saqqez, Sardasht, and Javanrud, local merchants followed suit and staged their own demonstrations against the closure of border crossings and small markets as well as tariff hikes. A majority of shops were closed as well.
In the cities of Saman and Shahr-e Kord, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, thousands of locals demonstrated against the problems that plagued their cities, such as water shortages.
With no end in sight, it cannot be determined how long such protests will continue. What is known is that the frequency of these protests will continue to increase as long as the regime is unable to answer the demands of its citizens.