Protesters continue to gather on the streets of Iran, said families living overseas who have spoken to relatives in cities such as Tehran on Tuesday.
The Iranian regime declared on Monday that it had restored calm and brought the situation “under total control” after more than two weeks of unrest. The death toll from the protests has exceeded 600, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
On Tuesday, some communication restrictions were eased and people could make phone calls. Iranians overseas were able to reach relatives and friends in their home country after days of no communication and internet silence.
They said the protests had not stopped and people continued to rally on the streets despite the threat of lethal force by security forces.
The National spoke to Iranian families in the UAE, India and Finland, who told of people with gunshot injuries from live rounds and wounds from pellet guns. They asked not to be identified as they feared for the safety of relatives and friends.
They appealed for support from the international community, especially US President Donald Trump.
“It is still extremely dangerous. My family has said people are being shot with live bullets,” said a UAE resident on Tuesday.
“It’s not true that the protests have stopped. People are going out in smaller groups, they are changing the areas where they protest because many areas are dangerous. Groups of people are still going out to protest even though it’s more complicated and dangerous now.”
Waiting for support
Iranians against the clerical rulers have urged people and governments to support their cause. The protests that began at the end of December were sparked by the collapse of the rial and spiralling prices. This widened into a revolt against the theocratic regime that has ruled Iran since the revolution of 1979.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s deposed shah, had called on protesters to take to the streets and seize city centres.
“People are waiting for new calls from Reza Pahlavi. The people of Iran are waiting for the international community, especially President Trump, to act quickly and stop the bloodshed in Iran,” the UAE resident said.
“People urgently need strong, immediate and decisive support from the US. President Trump had made a promise, we are hoping for him to act in the coming hours – not days, not weeks, not months, because the situation is critical. There are too many people injured and dead.”
The Iranian spoke of people with pellet injuries who did not go to hospital to treat their wounds for fear of arrest.
“A friend was shot with pellets and has several wounds. The biggest injury is above the knee, the back of her thigh where she was hurt badly,” the resident said.
“She cannot walk and needs to go to hospital but she cannot risk this because they (security forces) will arrest her. She was treated at home by a friend who is a doctor. It is the same for others injured also.”
Prevent civilian casualties
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the situation was “under total control” after the violence spiralled over the weekend, with online videos of protesters spilling into streets and bodies lying outside the country’s largest cemetery in Tehran.
Iranians shared online videos of hundreds outside the cemetery with people chanting “Bravery, bravery, we are proud of your bravery,” as weeping relatives lifted bodies shrouded in white.
Tehran-born Bahaar, who lives in Finland, spoke to a friend in Iran on Tuesday who said the protests would not stop.
Bahaar, who has lived in India, called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.
“I could connect with my friend in Iran today and protests are still happening,” she said.
“But because of big numbers regime police and military, it’s not as concentrated as before. It’s tougher for people to gather now. In the protests, people got killed with bullets used in war not just pellets.
“There is also random firing by the police not only on protesters. It is very scary not being able to reach our families.”
Calling on Mr Modi to speak to the regime to stop shooting unarmed protesters, she said, “We have family and friends in Iran and don’t want more civilians to die. I worry if Trump intervenes and attacks there will be war and that is something we cannot control.
“We are asking other governments including India to intervene to stop this killing. We are appealing to India’s Narendra Modi because India still has connections with the Islamic Republic – we hope for a peaceful resolution.”
An Iranian in Mumbai, India said she spoke to a friend in Tehran on Tuesday hoping for news about her family living in a town on the outskirts.
“We are worried people will forget those who have died,” she said. “The regime is killing freedom-loving people.”
