After the brutal suppression of protests in Iran, which claimed the lives of thousands of people, street traffic in some areas has significantly decreased. The Wall Street Journal notes that signals of a decline in demonstration activity are increasing due to intense pressure, bloody clashes, and communication restrictions.
Human Rights Activists in Iran announced on January 14 that the number of new protests, which they managed to investigate, had dropped to zero. Human rights defenders attribute this situation, first of all, to serious communication restrictions: in some places, such factors as the disconnection of telephone networks, the shutdown of the Internet, make it difficult to fully assess the reality.
According to the group's data, it has been confirmed that more than 2,600 people have died and more than 18,000 people have been arrested so far. Some officials in Europe and the Middle East, who spoke with the publication, also noted that the "wave" of discontent has somewhat subsided.
It is noted that the internet outage, which has been going on for eight days, has made it very difficult to determine the scale of the protests throughout the country. When people are disconnected from information exchange, street traffic becomes dispersed - especially when pressure is high. Some Iranians are talking about "terrible silence": as if there is life in the cities, but people are afraid to go outside, as if anxiety hangs in the air.
International Crisis Group analyst Ali Waiz openly stated the reason for this silence:
"The regime organized a bloody bath. With unprecedented force, they lowered their iron fists. This will have a restraining effect on the demonstrators."
At the same time, experts interviewed by the WSJ do not rule out the possibility that the silence may not last long. In their opinion, this break is more temporary: because the anger of many towards the authorities has not subsided, and economic problems remain a painful point. It is emphasized that it is difficult for the government to find a quick and effective way to solve the economic problems that led to mass protests.
It is said that local residents are also feeling this situation. One Tehran resident recalled taking to the streets on January 8th when protests erupted in the capital, and hundreds of people chanting slogans in the Punak district north of the city. But not long after, as he put it, Tehran "fell silent." On Wednesday evening, the streets were quiet, although minor clashes were also observed in some areas throughout the week.
One of the most controversial aspects is the number of victims and detainees. These figures have not yet been officially announced. Officials have been claiming that the US and Israel are behind the unrest.
The conclusion is simple: the streets in Iran may seem calmer now, but this doesn't mean the issue is resolved. Where the internet is off, the sound will also be off, but the reasons will not be off. Therefore, there is a possibility that the situation will re-emerge at any time.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
