International Youth Day offers a moment to honor the brave Iranian youths who, in the past year, courageously rallied to the forefront, ardently pursuing their rights. In their pursuit, hundreds of Iranian boys and girls lost their lives. At the same time, thousands faced arrest and captivity, enduring the harrowing confines of prison, where unimaginable torture prevails. Among those who fell victim to the violence of security forces during the protests were seventy boys and girls under 18 and at least 100 women.
In developed nations, August 12 is a day of heightened focus dedicated to shaping a brighter future for the country’s youth. Yet, upon arriving in Iran, we are confronted with a poignant inquiry: Can the youth of Iran envisage a promising future under the weight of a daily yoke imposed by the mullahs’ regime? Is there a pathway for progress and fulfilling aspirations within a regime riddled with corruption and antipathy towards its populace?
Propose these queries to any Iranian youth; their retort would invariably be a resounding negative. This response finds support in the staggering prevalence of addiction, the alarming rate of school dropouts, the coerced initiation of early marriages for girls, the stagnation in students’ academic pursuits, the notable exodus of intellectual elites, and the escalating instances of imprisonment and maltreatment inflicted upon protesting youth within the confines of the clerical regime’s prisons. Furthermore, various restrictions, particularly on girls and young women, compound the already grim reality Iranian youths face.
A striking exemplification of the Iranian youths’ predicament manifested in the systematic assaults on schools using toxic gases, a hateful campaign from the waning weeks of 2022 to April 2023. Primarily targeted were girls attending elementary and high schools. Astonishingly, the Ministry of Intelligence attributed the systematic poisoning of these young girls to their purported playfulness and penchant for adventure.
However, in a nation where pervasive surveillance infiltrates every facet of daily life, the inability of security agencies and intelligence services to quell this six-month spree of “adventurism” points more accusatory fingers at the regime and the IRGC than at the students themselves. Indeed, the clerical regime orchestrated these events as a diversionary tactic to avert public attention and forestall the emergence of fresh uprisings and protests. This strategy also served as a retaliatory strike against female students who played an active and substantial role in the nationwide demonstrations of 2022 and 2023.
Iranian Youths Defy Widespread Oppression
The youth of Iran stand as embers smoldering beneath the ashes, unwavering in their determination to dismantle the corrupt and oppressive rule of the Velayat-e Faqih, regardless of the price. They aim to forge a free, prosperous, advanced, modern Iran.
These young individuals, particularly young women, demonstrated their unwavering spirit during the 2022-2023 uprising, resolutely refusing to bow to the cruelty and brutality of the mullahs’ regime. University students took the lead in this uprising, with approximately 100 universities across Iran becoming the daily arena for the protests of these young Iranians. Such was the intensity that security forces under the Mullah regime arrested at least 60 exceptional students, launching an assault on Tehran’s esteemed Sharif University of Technology, and subsequently imprisoning them.
The participation of female students was also prominent during the 2022-2023 uprising, as they organized demonstrations within their schools. They boldly ripped pictures of Khomeini and Khamenei from their textbooks, vociferously echoing anti-regime slogans. The regime’s reaction was ruthless in response to these acts of dissent. In a chilling incident at Tamaddon High School in Bukan, Kurdistan, security forces stormed the premises using armored vehicles, ruthlessly targeting female students. In Ardabil, Asra Panahi, a 15-year-old student, lost her life due to the severe beating inflicted by security forces.
Mullahs Concerned Over Iran’s Youth Joining Resistance Units
Suppression, arrests, and torture have failed to stifle the voices of Iran’s youth. Instead, they have given rise to a generation that has carved out, and continues to do so, a distinctive role in the pursuit of freedom. This emerging cohort constitutes the Resistance Units, a group that persists in their protests despite the ever-present perils, steadfastly refusing to let the flames of their uprising die down.
Young Iranian women hold a pivotal and irreplaceable position within this coordinated network.
During each protest and uprising, these young women fervently chant audacious slogans against the misogynistic regime, actively rallying people to stand against the oppressive security forces. Furthermore, they assume a crucial role in organizing the uprisings themselves.
Throughout the nationwide protests in 2017-2018, 2019, and 2022-2023, their influence was so potent that even state-controlled media had to concede to their leadership.
Through their strategic targeting of the regime’s centers of oppression, which are intensely despised within society, the Resistance Units ignite inspiration and serve as guides and exemplars for Iran’s younger generation.
The tradition of inscribing slogans on city walls is another protest method adopted by these Resistance Units. Across Iran, young individuals demonstrate their resentment by inscribing daily protest slogans against the oppressive regime.
Iran’s youth earnestly urge the international community to support their resistance against the brutal dictatorship of the mullahs, advocating for recognition of their inherent right to defend themselves from the IRGC.
With the approaching anniversary of the 2022-2023 uprising on September 16, Iran’s youth diligently prepare for another eruption of dissent. Their rallying cry echoes clearly: “We will reclaim Iran in 2023.”
