Fireworks and 'Death to the dictator': Iranians assess the Revolution, 44 years on
TEHRAN — On Friday, the eve of the 44th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, celebratory fireworks lit up Tehran's night sky. Within minutes, the show was interrupted with cries of "freedom" "death to the dictator" and "death to Khamenei," Iran's supreme leader, ringing from apartment windows. Then, chants of "God is great" as supporters of the regime chimed in.
The moment demonstrated the divisions playing out in Iran, five months after the death of Mahsa Amini. The anti-government chants are the same ones shouted at protests that shook the country in the wake of Amini's death in police custody in September. She had been detained after the so-called morality police accused her of wearing improper attire, or not covering her hair. Iranians rose up in anger, demanding change and a stop to what they call the regime's oppression of its citizens and mismanagement of the economy.
The government's brutal crackdown on the protests — which, according to the U.N. Human Rights office, has included the detention of thousands,
