February 11 marks the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the day the Pahlavi dynasty, the last Shah of Iran, fell, making way for the Islamic Republic. Dissatisfaction had been building in the Middle Eastern country, but the success of the uprising came somewhat as a surprise to the rest of the world. Violence and brutality ensued with many repelled by the new Iran that emerged under the regime. Today, fresh uprisings are taking place across the nation, but one child of the 1979 revolution told Express.co.uk what he has learned about toppling a government having witnessed it before.
There are many similarities between the events of 1979 and what is taking place in Iran today, with the ongoing protests being the longest-running uprising the country has seen since the late Seventies.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by the morality police in September caused public outrage against the Islamic Republic. Those who dissent have been made political prisoners in the likes of the notorious Evin prison and some have even been executed after “sham” trials.
According to the Human Rights Activists’ News Agency, hundreds of protestors have been killed, but this figure changes constantly. Yet, the rebels are resolute. A new survey of 158,000 people in Iran conducted by the Gamaan institute found that more than 80 percent opposed the regime and wanted a democratic government.
But Arman, who did not wish to use his real name, is wary, having witnessed Iran’s last revolution first-hand as he was emerging from adolescence. As his new life in Iran unfolded, he realised that he could not live there and moved to the UK in the Eighties.
He said: “I know what a revolution is very well. The 1979 revolution was one of the biggest in history and people managed to get rid of a liberal government. It was not democratic but they had more development plans for the country. The revolution resulted in this current regime — the older generation remembers that. It was a bad experience.
“I was in Iran after the revolution as well. After a while, I found that things were deteriorating every day. Everybody thought democracy would happen.
“Gradually, I felt that it was getting worse and we realised that we had made a mistake — there was the eight-year war, there was lawlessness… there were so many problems. There were promises of democracy but a lot of people like me became disappointed. I left Iran and never returned. It’s not a safe country.”
After the 1979 revolution, chaos ensued. One dictatorship was replaced with another, harsher regime. Between 1981 and 1985 alone, almost 8,000 people were executed. Similarly now, the regime is doing anything it can to terrify Iranians into subservience.
READ MORE: Tyrant ayatollahs’ grip on Iran is not strong – COMMENT
What is needed in Iran now is democratic leadership and a coherent strategy, Arman believes.
He continued: “There is no leadership in the opposition. People do try to lead it but there is no consensus about who is the leader or which organisation is leading it.
“It’s very spontaneous, both in Iran and here. That’s why the protest is facing difficulty, it’s just a protest movement at the moment. They have a difficult target. This lack of leadership also causes some division, people don’t agree with each other’s tactics and approach.”
A brutal crackdown has quietened the protests somewhat for now. But the hope and belief that change is just around the corner are far from gone.
