Iran
Uprising

Spark: The closure of Salam newspaper and a violent raid on student dorms at University of Tehran triggered student demonstrations against repression and for press/political freedoms.

Response: Security forces and vigilantes used force to disperse crowds and carried out large-scale arrests and detentions.

Aftermath: Many students reported being disappeared or held incommunicado, and rights groups documented harsh sentences and intimidation that chilled campus politics for years.

Spark: Renewed campus unrest—driven by demands for political liberalization and anger at repression—ignited demonstrations in Tehran and other cities.

Response: Authorities broke up gatherings with force and made sweeping arrests that state-linked reporting said reached into the thousands.

Aftermath: Student activists faced prosecutions and punishments, contributing to a sustained clampdown on student organizing.

Spark: Rumors and anger over alleged demographic and discrimination policies helped spark protests and riots in Ahvaz among the Arab minority.

Response: Security forces suppressed unrest, made mass arrests, and authorities blamed outside actors while restricting media coverage.

Aftermath: The area saw continued cycles of unrest and securitization, including later clashes and prosecutions linked to separatist violence.

Spark: Allegations of fraud in the 2009 election led to massive "Where is my vote?" rallies that evolved into a broader challenge to unelected power and repression.

Response: Authorities used lethal force, mass arrests, and detention, and abuses in custody became emblematic of the crackdown.

Aftermath: Opposition leaders and activists were jailed or placed under tight restrictions, and accountability for abuses remained limited.

Spark: Protests that began over prices, unemployment, and corruption rapidly spread nationwide and frequently adopted explicitly anti-establishment slogans.

Response: Authorities responded with mass arrests and force; rights groups reported suspicious deaths in detention amid the crackdown.

Aftermath: The state tightened surveillance and repression of activists, and economic and political grievances resurfaced in subsequent waves.

Spark: A sudden fuel price increase triggered rapid nationwide demonstrations that became a broader protest against governance, inequality, and repression.

Response: Security forces carried out a sweeping crackdown marked by large-scale arrests and widespread allegations of torture and enforced disappearances.

Aftermath: Survivors and families reported intimidation and reprisals, while civil society groups continued documenting abuses amid ongoing fear.

Spark: Acute water shortages and anger over long-term mismanagement drove protests across Khuzestan Province that spread beyond the region.

Response: Human rights groups reported excessive force and deaths as security forces confronted demonstrators.

Aftermath: The state made arrests and intensified pressure on activists, while underlying environmental and governance issues remained unresolved.

Spark: Amini's death in morality-police custody sparked nationwide 'Woman, Life, Freedom' protests against compulsory hijab and the wider system of repression.

Response: Authorities used force and mass arrests and pursued harsh prosecutions, while international bodies documented widespread abuses.

Aftermath: Even after the street peak subsided, repression continued through arrests and legal pressure, alongside conditional pardons requiring remorse pledges.