Protests, Clashes, and Chants of ‘Death to Khamenei’ Mark Third Anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s Death in Iran

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Iran erupted in protests overnight as thousands took to the streets to mark the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, the young Kurdish woman killed in custody by the regime’s morality police after refusing to wear a hijab.

Silent marches and rallies were reported Tuesday night into Wednesday in Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Arak, Tabriz, and Saqqez, despite a heavy security presence and internet disruptions. Demonstrators demanded an end to religious coercion and the downfall of Iran’s clerical leadership. In Karaj, chants of “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei” echoed in the streets, while in Tehran, plainclothes officers attacked marchers in a central square.

Inside Qarchak prison, political prisoners staged their own act of defiance, burning a noose and their headscarves in protest of executions and forced veiling. Videos shared by Iran International showed female prisoners chanting “Women, life, freedom” as guards looked on.

The Iranian Teachers’ Union declared support for the demonstrations, calling Amini’s death “a turning point” for the Iranian public. “The protest proved that life cannot be normalized under violent repression,” the group said.

In Saqqez, Amini’s hometown in Kurdish-majority western Iran, security forces deployed heavily around her grave and across the city. Local merchants staged strikes in solidarity with the anniversary protests.

The demonstrations come three years after Amini’s killing on September 16, 2022, which sparked the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising—one of the most significant challenges to Iran’s clerical regime in decades. That movement saw hundreds killed, thousands arrested, and families of victims threatened. A 2024 UN report held Tehran responsible for Amini’s death and ongoing systematic repression of women and dissidents.

Despite the regime’s crackdown, activists say Amini’s legacy has transformed Iranian society, with growing numbers of women refusing to comply with hijab laws and ordinary Iranians openly rejecting the authority of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Exiled opposition figures, including Reza Pahlavi, and international voices such as former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressed solidarity this week, calling for greater global support of Iranians seeking regime change.

The protests highlight both the resilience of Iran’s opposition and the continued fragility of the Islamic Republic, which faces mounting dissent at home and scrutiny abroad.

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