Two Days After Dissident’s Suicide, Iranians Mark Fifth Anniversary of 2019 Protests

Latest Developments

• Iranians Mark Fifth Anniversary of 2019 Mass Protests: Mass protests erupted in Iran on November 15, 2019, sparked by Tehran’s decision to suddenly raise fuel prices. The regime subsequently carried out a nationwide crackdown, gunning down hundreds of protestors and arresting at least 7,000. Tehran also imposed a near-total internet blackout, preventing demonstrators from communicating with each other and the outside world.

• Anniversary Coincides With Wave of Suicides: Iranian dissident and former Voice of America correspondent Kianoush Sanjari died by suicide on November 13 in a protest against the “dictatorship of Khamenei and his partners.” In a final tweet before jumping off a five-story building, Sanjari wrote that “no one should be imprisoned for expressing their opinions.”  Two female students, ages 16 and 17, reportedly died by suicide earlier in November over dress code violations.

• Surge of Executions in Iran: Iran executed at least 23 people over the course of two days, the Norway-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on November 7. The regime issued death sentences on November 13 for six activists involved in the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” protests. Tehran executed at least 166 people in October, “the highest number of executions recorded in a single month since Iran Human Rights began documenting executions in 2007,” IHR said.

FDD Expert Response

“Kianoush Sanjari’s suspicious death must be viewed within the broader context of the regime’s maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian people and dissidents, aimed at breaking their will and forcing them into submission. The regime’s message to the people is unmistakable: peace is only granted through submission, and defiance will bring death.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

“Five years have passed since Iran’s November 2019 uprising, but the protests never ceased despite the clerical regime’s bloody crackdown. Demonstrations continued to unfold throughout the country in 2024, showing the determination of the Iranian people to bring down their repressive government. As the Trump administration prepares to take office, it should recognize, as the majority of Iranians do, that a policy of regime change constitutes the best and only way to fully eliminate the manifold threats emanating from Tehran.” — Tzvi Kahn, Research Fellow and Senior Editor

“As seen in recent protest waves across Iran since 2017, it’s only a matter of time until the Islamic Republic’s brutality ignites the tinderbox of Iranian civil society. To leverage the domestic anti-regime sentiment, Washington should be prepared support Iranians in their unfair battle against the theocracy.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst

FDD Background and Analysis

“Iran Executes At Least 23 Prisoners in Two Days,” FDD Flash Brief

“Tehran Arrests Iranian-American Dual National, Executes Jewish Iranian,” FDD Flash Brief

“Maximum Support: A New Strategic Direction for U.S. Iran Policy,” by Behnam Ben Taleblu, Saeed Ghasseminejad, Camerin Khansarinia, and Andrew Ghalili