Eve events for the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution
Supporters of the regime were in a festive mood, but
“We only want freedom” voices of division in many places
President acknowledges “ashamed of the bloody crackdown”

At 9 p.m. local time on the 10th, the eve of the 47th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, fireworks lit up the night sky of the capital, Tehran. As they watched the dazzling display, people shouted “Allahu Akbar (God is great).” But this year, voices unheard in previous years were added like a discordant note. Out of the darkness came chants of “Death to (Iran’s Supreme Leader) Ali Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator.”

AP reported on the 11th that the ceremony in Tehran marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution unfolded in a different atmosphere from previous years. Held amid the threat of a U.S. attack and public disaffection fueled by the bloody suppression of anti-government protests, the government sought to showcase the state’s power and legitimacy during the commemoration, but it could not conceal the divisions in Iranian society.

According to the BBC, while supporters of the government at the ceremony were in a celebratory mood, the reactions of citizens encountered on the streets of Tehran were different. Raha, 32, said, “I have not properly eaten or slept for a month.” Akhtar, 62, lamented, “Too many young people have lost their lives,” adding, “The price of cooking oil has quadrupled. The unemployment rate is far too high.” Amir, 19, said, “We only want freedom.”

Seemingly mindful of public sentiment, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the ceremony that the crackdown had “caused deep sorrow,” marking his first expression of regret regarding the authorities’ handling of the anti-government protests. President Pezeshkian said, “I feel ashamed before the people. We have a duty to help all those who were harmed by this incident.” On nuclear talks with the United States, he said Iran “does not seek nuclear weapons” and is “ready to accept any form of verification.”

President Pezeshkian did not mention the recent mass arrests of reformist opposition figures by the Iranian authorities. As many opposition figures, including Azar Mansouri, head of the Reform Front (a coalition of reformist parties that supported Pezeshkian in the last presidential election), have been arrested, opposition figures have asked President Pezeshkian to raise his voice on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said that Narges Mohammadi, Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was severely beaten and abused during the process of being taken into custody by the Iranian authorities.

In a CNN interview, Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said the committee had received a report that Mohammadi was beaten with wooden sticks and batons and kicked around the pelvis when she was arrested in December last year, leaving her unable to sit properly and making normal life difficult. Frydnes said, “We are worried that Mohammadi may no longer remain alive.” Mohammadi, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, is a leading Iranian women’s rights activist who has long been repeatedly imprisoned and released, and on December 12 last year, after giving a speech at a memorial for a human rights lawyer, she was again arrested along with other activists.