Protests in Iran have now been going on for almost seven weeks, since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on 16 September, after she was detained by morality police for “inappropriate attire”.
Protesters have been marching the streets in Iran, and up to 2,000 will be publicly tried by the Iranian government. Journalists who reported on Mahsa Amini’s death have also been arrested and accused of spying for foreign governments – a crime which carries the death penalty.
Bita Kalantari, 44, a linguist, lived in Tehran until she was 24, after completing an undergraduate degree at a university in Yazd. Miss Kalantari moved to the UK after facing difficulties in Iran. She now lives in Sheffield with her daughter, but still has family in Iran.
“It’s a very, very hard time at the moment for me, but it’s nothing compared to what my family go through on a daily basis,” she says. “Some of my friends go to protests every day. They go outside to chant on the streets and put their lives at risk.
“My mum is 70 years old now and lives on her own. So she doesn’t go out and she’s very scared of living on her own.”
Miss Kalantari has not visited Iran in 20 years, and fears that she won’t be able to see her family again. “I’ve always had the hope that one day I will be able to see my mum again,” she says. “When my dad passed away about 10 years ago, I was not able to go to Iran. I know that there’s no chance of being able to see my family again if this regime continues.”
Miss Kalantari has been in constant contact with her family since the events began. She says her family tell her stories of Iranian officials using loudspeakers to threaten those who protest. “Things just escalated so fast,” she said.
“They have really been cracking down on the protesters, killing them, abducting them, torturing them. My family has not yet been affected this way, like so many others have been. But still they are putting their lives at risk. I’m very much worried about hearing from my cousins. I’m constantly glued to my mobile.”
Miss Kalantari also has experience at the hands of the Iranian morality police, though she wasn’t arrested, when she was about 14. “I was always crying. I was humiliated by it,” she said.
“It’s very difficult for a woman to have the sorts of freedom that men have in Iran. Right now when I hear about all these things, it’s just like a flashback of everything that I experienced. I’ve come through a lot of things. But I’m here, and I feel safe here in this country because I enjoy this democracy and freedom.
“I just think – why can’t other people, my sisters, my family, experience this? It’s their fundamental basic human rights.”
Miss Kalantari is part of a minority religion in Iran, which she says left her facing hardship at University.
“I have firsthand experience of the treatment that the government gives to minorities,” she says. “In university, people who are supporters of the regime have their own groups and if you’re not supporting their groups, then you don’t get the same opportunities. Coming from a minority religion, we cannot get to higher positions. We only have one representative at parliament, from the whole country.”
The current Iranian Supreme Leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has held the position since 1989. He is the second Supreme Leader of Iran, and holds authority over the national police and the morality police.
Miss Kalantari spoke about the previous movements in Iran, which have been suppressed by the government.
“Many times we have heard about demonstrations and protests, but the government always shuts them down. To be honest, this is something that we have seen a lot. It has been over 40 years of living with this regime that’s not been serving its own people.
“It is still heartbreaking to see how people are getting brutally killed and attacked on the streets. It haunts me when I go to sleep and I have so many nightmares now. But it’s something that I have grown up with. I know how brutal this regime and their supporters can be, and they don’t spare anyone who stands against them.”
Miss Kalantari now lives in Sheffield with her daughter, who is a student at the University of Sheffield.
“My daughter was born here. She’s never been to Iran but she feels very strongly because she sees that I’m so affected by it,” she said. “She keeps telling me that I have to look after myself as well if I want to be able to carry on.
“When I think about what my family and friends are going through, I feel like the least I can do is to be their voice, and raise awareness and make sure that the world knows exactly what is happening.
“We have managed to get the world’s attention on what is happening in Iran. But this is not going to be a quick and easy thing. It’s going to be quite a long way but we will win.
“All that Iranian women around the world are asking for is justice and freedom.”